Sweden edition

Östberg transferred from California jail

Published: 7 Apr 09 07:53 CET | Double click on a word to get a translation
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/18722/20090407/

Annika Östberg Deasy, found guilty in 1981 of being an accessory to two murders, including that of a policeman, has been transferred from a US prison and is on her way back to Sweden.

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The announcement was made on Monday by the state of California that Östberg Deasy would, after more than 27 years in a US prison, be returned to Sweden to complete her sentence.

"She has been released from the prison after an agreement with the Swedish government. She will be transferred to Sweden," a spokesperson said.

The media was later informed that the transfer had been made last week.

"Inmate Deasy was released from the California Institution for Women and transferred to the federal authorities on March 25th 2009," Terry Thornton at the California prison authority confirmed.

The Swedish authorities in the US are being reticent with the details of Östberg Deasy's transfer.

"We have no comment at all on the information," Cecilia Julin at the Swedish foreign ministry in Stockholm said.

According to reports in the Expressen newspaper Östberg Deasy spent last night in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York.

Östberg Deasy will be flown home to Sweden on Tuesday in a private chartered jet that will cost the Swedish prisons service at least 500,000 kronor ($62,000).

Annika Östberg Deasy, now 55, moved to California with her mother in the 1960s. As a teenager she experienced serious drug problems and ran away from home.

She later started a relationship with a drug dealer, Brian Cox. In April 1981, the couple argued with restaurant owner, Joe Torre, over money. Cox shot Torre dead.

The following day, Cox and Östberg's car got a puncture and policeman Richard Helbush pulled over to help them. Thinking they were about to be arrested, Cox shot Helbush dead as well.

The couple fled in the police car and were later arrested after a police pursuit and a gunfight. Cox hanged himself in his cell prior to the trial.

TT/Peter Vinthagen Simpson (news@thelocal.se)

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00:39 April 8, 2009 by Yendor

OK so Annika is on her way back to Sweden and i am sure she wont be spending even one night in a Swedish prison(soft on crime). But enought of that, what i would like to know is what kind of sweeet deal did Sweden give California to get Annika out of jail? Im sure California did not give Sweden a "get out of jail free card" to give to Annika. So what were the details of the deal, we may never know and if they do tell us it could be just a bunch of BS.

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03:37 April 8, 2009 by Tennessee Thunder

She should have been excuited in Cali,fryed till her eyeballs melted,she helped kill two people.

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09:22 April 8, 2009 by Swedeofile

I find it so strange how so many countries media make a victim out of their citizens who commit crimes in other countries. Is it that "their" citizen could not possibly be guilty especially when a foreigner was the victim or is it more likely that they need to sell more newspapers!

She is not a victim in any sence of the word and should count her luck she was transfered.

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09:38 April 8, 2009 by jones2

Annika Östberg has been in jail for 27 years for a murder in which she didn't even pull the trigger. She has, by most accounts, demonstrated considerable remorse over a sustained period and is now a reformed character.

Few thoughtful Swedes would deny that a substantial sentence was merited, but most people here would argue that holding her for the rest of her life would be excessive. Sentences of that length are unheard of in Sweden for all but the worst murders; Swedes would argue that they are dehumanising and serve no useful purpose.

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10:45 April 8, 2009 by Squiddy

I don't think many people are making her out to be a victim here. But the fact of the matter is that she has served 28 years in prison for basically being an accessory to murder. Not a nice thing to have done, I know but hardly worth nearly 3 decades in prison.

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11:11 April 8, 2009 by Swedeofile

Possibly! And I wonder what the victims families have to say about it. Your also leaving out the fact she did absolutely nothing after the first murder to avoid and prevent the second.

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11:23 April 8, 2009 by olleello

I firmly belive the fact that sweden just passed the IPRED law gave the politival impetus to grant this small political favour. It might sound a bit absurd but the fact that she was in a Carliforna state prison allso give more plausabillity.

However, I do not belive that this was the reason for Sweden to pass the IPRED law. So, Sweden passed the IPRED law for several reasons, none of them the release of Annika Östberg, But I'm quite sure the unnamable governor of Carliforna, and quite a few of his campain contributors, where rather pleased.

Allso I would like to say something about the state, the law and punishment. No state can justly impose a punishment that exceeds what is needed to discourage others to repeat the transgression. If a state go beyond that, it's just about cruelty and equal to the transgression that is being punished. I don't belive life sentences fulfill this criterion.

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11:40 April 8, 2009 by gladdenpaul

27 years as an accessory? Totally excessive. It's no wonder that the US has 5% of the world population but manages to incarcerate 25% of the world's prisoners...

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11:59 April 8, 2009 by Buckshot

She´s done more than enough time in jail.

The relatives of the killed policeman is so full of hate, that it´s disgusting.

I could buy it if she pulled the trigger, but she didn´t.

This talk about tyst diplomati is just a big load of bs.

California let her go because they need to save money.

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#10

12:23 April 8, 2009 by Craptastical

How would you sentence someone who planned the killing of a cop and restaurant owner? It's not as though she was just there when it happened. She planned the damn thing. IIRC she even *reloaded* the weapon for the person who actually pulled the trigger.

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#11

12:24 April 8, 2009 by Holecutter > The Howl From He

Note to myself: when she's around walk on the other side of the street and carry a big gun. If I had my way she would have been BBQ worm bait by now.

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#12

14:52 April 8, 2009 by Braderunner Rennuredarb

Crappy...you gotta be kidding me!

There is no way that this upstanding young Swede who was forced to immigrate to the US (probably because her mother was brainwashed by American TV) could have had a hand in this!

/sarcasm off

All I can say when I hear people talking about treating criminals with hugs and rainbows is "Typisk Svensk"

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#13

16:49 April 8, 2009 by Rubbi

How did you get from this that she planned to murder the policeman? Not saying she doesn't deserve the prison but being an accessory to murder and premeditated murder are 2 complete different things.

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#14

17:00 April 8, 2009 by Paddy

Was the second one not random? Anyway, I think she's done her time. There are actual murderers who serve half the time she has!

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#15

17:28 April 8, 2009 by Craptastical

What constitutes "premeditated"? Does distracting the policeman so that her partner could shoot him count (in the same way as the first murder)?

Read this instead. Most of the information there is based on her own account of events during the trial, as opposed to the activist site you pulled that information from.

I'm glad I put "IIRC" in my original reply too, because my memory was not correct. She reloaded the weapon when they had the shootout with the cops (after the first and second murders while they were attempting to flee in the stolen police car).

This woman is no saint. IMHO prison shouldn't be rehab in her case, it should be punishment. If you read about her in what I linked to above you'll see that she was responsible for another death long before the incident in 1981.

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#16

17:40 April 8, 2009 by Rubbi

Firstly I did not go to an activists site unless The Local is one for her. Now Wikipedia is hardly a reliable source for the evidence, ok my swedish was not so got it in english and no where was it to be seen that she actively distracted the police officer so her boyfriend could kill him. The only reason she got 27 years is because the boyfriend who did the actual killings hung himself before the trial and the people wanted justice. If he did not top himself and went to court for the murders there is no way she would have received the sentance. Not saying she does not deserve it.

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#17

18:34 April 8, 2009 by Swedeofile

That is pure speculation! You cannot say it is anywhere near fact.

She was not a victim and yes maybe 27 is a lot of years. But only she knows she could have stopped and done something else.

I just hope she doesn't try and make a profit from what she has done.

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#18

18:53 April 8, 2009 by Craptastical

I agree that wikipedia can be rather shaky as a source, but did you notice all of the references? Many of them go back to Swedish news outlets.

If you're having a hard time reading it then run it though Google Translate. It doesn't do the best translation but you should be able to understand most of it.

WRT her sentence in relation to the suicide, that's pure speculation. What is in that article is based on Annika's own admission in court, which is a lot more solid than your analysis.

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#19

19:00 April 8, 2009 by Shark99 - The Great Catsby

Considering the sorry state of the CA economy, it makes financial sense to let the Swedes keep her in jail. Of course the Swedes will probably release her as soon as she steps off the plane and hail her some kind of hero. Still, 27 years in jail is a long time.

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#20

19:20 April 8, 2009 by kerostarfx

There was a nasty murder back in my hometown in the US, the guy who committed the crime got life in prison the other two that assisted got 50 years. 27 years isn't that bad, considering that's usually a hefty sentence for someone that was busted with a crap load of drugs in the U.S.

I feel bad for the victim's family though, as having Östberg back in Sweden really doesn't leave any closure for the family. Anyway, with the Swedish headlines lately on Östberg it kind of disturbs me since it seems as though they're "welcoming home" the lady.

Ranting off topic on U.S. jail sentences, check this out, http://edition.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/04/08/te...ence/index.html

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#21

20:13 April 8, 2009 by tigger007

i heard that she was released from her sentence in Cali,which is good. i noticed the swedes are harsh about her time of 27yrs in jail.she is lucky that she didn't get the chair. how long should this woman been locked up? i felt that if she did the crime and she should do the time.killing a police office or being with a person who did it,they will fry or die in jail. sweden has always tried to get her home,but it was a no go.some of u guys made really good points about her release and the passage of this new law in sweden(COULD BE TRUE).now back to some of u whom felt like america is an over policed state!! LISTEN!! IF YOU SCREW UP IN THE GOOD OLE USA,YOU WILL BE PUNISHED!! i have heard that people who were convicted of rape got 3yrs and a tax cheat got 6yrs!!!(in sweden) let me see! who should i choose? let me pick from the lesser evil!!!! THE TAX CHEAT WINS! we all have laws that my or my not be to our liking,but we must follow them. some maybe harsher than others. she is home and let us wish her good luck from here and now on!!

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#22

01:36 April 9, 2009 by Nifty

Geez.Talk about sanctimonious morons.Everyday one can read about the daily slaughter in the US.Easily the most violent 'stable' society on earth.Cops shooting citizens,citizens shooting cops,citizens shooting citizens,government executing citizens,etc...We in Sweden enjoy the FACT we are nothing at all like the US.In culture or government.

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#23

02:05 April 9, 2009 by Shark99 - The Great Catsby

Right, and gangs are not slashing the fire hoses of emergency services trying to put out a fire in Malmö? Hardly a day goes by when I don't read about some bank robbery in Sweden or other. Sweden isn't as safe as you would like to believe.

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#24

03:03 April 9, 2009 by olleello

Nothing like the media to sensationalize marginalized kids in Rosengård. At least they aint totin' guns and dealin' drugs.

The odd thing is that crime rates haven't increased significantly the last thirty years. Some things have shifted, but nothing like what the newspapers are reporting. If you go by them we have a civil war going on, it's a shame they don't take a bit more responsibillity.

Bottom line however, Sweden didn't had to deal with all the issues the US have struggeled with for so long. Its allso a much smaller country. It would be extremely odd if Sweden would function anything like the big US states.

Allso when it come to discussing crime, the concept of "the US" is hardly helpfull, I mean, it's a huge and diverse friggin' place.

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#25

08:19 April 9, 2009 by 7

well, my daddy could beat your daddy up.

(that's what y'all sound like folks). anybody have anything to say that doesn't need someone sticking out a tongue and/or putting thumbs to your temples and wiggling fingers?

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#26

09:09 April 9, 2009 by Craptastical

I can pee farther than you, and my penis is bigger than yours

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#27

10:11 April 9, 2009 by 7

i sure hope so.

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#28

10:14 April 9, 2009 by Holecutter > The Howl From He

Just heard some great news...there has been a mistake...they still want to get even, so, they are sending her back.

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#29

11:00 April 9, 2009 by Camorin

Spending 500,000 SEK of tax money on a criminal to bring her back to Sweden sounds a bit too much. She hasn't been here since the 60's and I wonder if she would like it here once the romantic honey moon period is over. On the other hand, her life in USA is not a sweet one either.

I also wonder if we should be hard on a person who is abandoned by her own mother in her teens. Would such a person really feel any respect for human life, love or other emotions? Bitter/angry/abandoned kids are easy targets for prostituition/drugs/criminal gangs. Once they get into such groups, their opinion about the world only gets reinforced by the raw and tough society in which they move. It partly explains to me after all how people can carry out or participate in such horrendous crimes.

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#30

11:31 April 9, 2009 by unkle strunkle

I think the opposite is happening. The media doesn't report the half of what is really going on because it is still taboo in Sweden to hold the immigrants accountable for their actions. Such as this example from 2007:

and this from the same essay:

http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/2278

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#31

11:54 April 9, 2009 by Nifty

The downside to Sweden has always been the 'clenched fist in pocket'.i.e. angry but do nothing.Trouble is we repress ourselves all the time.If you are a blonde blue-eyed scandi & you bag someone who is not, then your arse is toast.& its your own countrymen doing the toasting .

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#32

13:36 April 9, 2009 by tigger007

nifty!? who are u calling a sanctimonious morons? please don't turn this discussion into a bad mouthing discussion about american culture! if u have NOT been living in america nor working or having a life in america. please don't bad mouth america, you are getting alot of your info from the media,which likes to report negative things to sale papers or to get higher ratings. americans we love alot of things about your country and some things we aren't happy about it. i have been living in sweden for 7yrs and i know that swedes are liberals. you can't have this liberal way of thinking when it comes to harder criminals. that's why sweden is known to be the thiefs heaven. these harder criminals(most nonswedes) think that the swedish system is a joke,they laugh when they commit a crime. they know that the laws are ez and u won't spend no time in jail.i my kids cusin commited robbery,kidnapping,and grand thieft auto and got 3yrs. after 1.5yrs he was on work release and was able to come home on weekends. i told him if he was in america he would have been looking at 10 to 15yrs. he just laughed and said'' THANK GOD I'M NOT IN AMERICA''.

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#33

13:52 April 9, 2009 by 7

why not?

america gets bashed

sweden gets bashed

the UK gets bashed

is this a new rule?

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#34

14:14 April 9, 2009 by Craptastical

Perhaps you should return to the US so that you can receive an adequate education in English. Sorry, let me translate that for you...

mayB u shood moov bak to tha US so tha u can lurn good 3nglish.

, you typed this at a computer and you weren't sending an SMS. What an embarrassment.

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#35

15:45 April 9, 2009 by Shark99 - The Great Catsby

Actually it was closer to 700,000 SKR to bring her back to Sweden.

http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article4868768.ab

Good use of taxpayers money, no? Why couldn't they just have flown commercial with her? I doubt anybody would have known who she was until she got a hero's welcome back in Sweden. Cheaper too.

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#36

16:15 April 9, 2009 by Mzungu

Latest! Östberg to be released soonest stop ,secured post in the treasury department stop,burning old money stop...

*has promised to repay her dept to the Swedish people after squandering their tax money on her repatriation* :Fcuk off:

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#37

16:45 April 9, 2009 by Braderunner Rennuredarb

~700-k SEK...

And it costs what...7 SEK for a bullet?

/sigh

What a waste.

Report abuse »

#38

16:49 April 9, 2009 by Shark99 - The Great Catsby

Right, and Octumom swore she didn't take welfare, is not planning a reality show, and is going back to school to finish her degree.

Report abuse »

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