Skeleton lover walks free as bone trial ends
A 37-year-old woman charged with “violating the peace of the dead” for allegedly using human bones as sex toys was released on Friday as the court began deliberations, with the prosecutor arguing she should be sent to prison.
The woman, whose collection of bones has made headlines around the world, was arrested in September when police arrived at her apartment and found human skeletons and knives after responding to a call about gunfire coming from the flat.
She was charged with violating the peace of the dead after confiscated images and witness statements suggested she used the bones for sexual purposes.
On Friday, the 37-year-old walked free following three days of hearings in the Gothenburg District Court, which will now begin deliberations ahead of a verdict expected to be delivered on December 17th.
While no longer being held on remand, the woman remains suspected of the crimes with which she has been charged.
“It’s in no way remarkable that she has been released,” prosecutor Kristina Ehrenborg-Staffas told the Expressen newspaper.
The 37-year-old, who denies having committed any crime, smiled and waved at onlookers as she left the courtroom, according to Expressen.
Investigators have confirmed that 397 bones, 15 skulls, and 13 teeth that were found in the woman's house are indeed human remains.
The woman’s defence lawyer Annika Stanislaus claimed that the witness testimony used by prosecutors was based on nonsense.
“Witness testimony about sexual activities with the skeleton parts is based on second-hand information which have been shown to be nothing more than drunken rants,” Stanislaus said during her final appeal, according to the paper.
“Our understanding is that the whole prosecution has tried to show my client as an immoral and horrible person."
In closing statements, however, the prosecutor restated that the crime was much more serious.
“She has been a necrophile for many years and this is really about a sex crime,” Ehrenborg-Staffas explained, who has called for the woman to be jailed.
A preliminary psychiatric investigation showed the woman does not suffer from any mental illness.
If found guilty, the woman faces a maximum of two years in prison.
TT/The Local/og
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The woman, whose collection of bones has made headlines around the world, was arrested in September when police arrived at her apartment and found human skeletons and knives after responding to a call about gunfire coming from the flat.
She was charged with violating the peace of the dead after confiscated images and witness statements suggested she used the bones for sexual purposes.
On Friday, the 37-year-old walked free following three days of hearings in the Gothenburg District Court, which will now begin deliberations ahead of a verdict expected to be delivered on December 17th.
While no longer being held on remand, the woman remains suspected of the crimes with which she has been charged.
“It’s in no way remarkable that she has been released,” prosecutor Kristina Ehrenborg-Staffas told the Expressen newspaper.
The 37-year-old, who denies having committed any crime, smiled and waved at onlookers as she left the courtroom, according to Expressen.
Investigators have confirmed that 397 bones, 15 skulls, and 13 teeth that were found in the woman's house are indeed human remains.
The woman’s defence lawyer Annika Stanislaus claimed that the witness testimony used by prosecutors was based on nonsense.
“Witness testimony about sexual activities with the skeleton parts is based on second-hand information which have been shown to be nothing more than drunken rants,” Stanislaus said during her final appeal, according to the paper.
“Our understanding is that the whole prosecution has tried to show my client as an immoral and horrible person."
In closing statements, however, the prosecutor restated that the crime was much more serious.
“She has been a necrophile for many years and this is really about a sex crime,” Ehrenborg-Staffas explained, who has called for the woman to be jailed.
A preliminary psychiatric investigation showed the woman does not suffer from any mental illness.
If found guilty, the woman faces a maximum of two years in prison.
TT/The Local/og
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