Slayer of Palme Given Life Sentence
A career criminal who haunted the streets of Stockholm in search of drugs and drink was convicted today of murdering Prime Minister Olof Palme in 1986 and was sentenced to life in prison.
Carl Gustav Christer Pettersson was found guilty by a Stockholm District Court panel of six lay jurors who outvoted two professional judges. The judges said there was not enough evidence to convict Pettersson, but only a simple majority was needed for conviction.
Pettersson’s attorney said he will appeal.
The laymen accepted the testimony of Lisbeth Palme, who testified that she saw Pettersson, 42, standing near her husband moments after he was shot in the back at close range as they walked home from a late movie on Feb. 28, 1986.
Pettersson testified that he was 18 miles away at a suburban train station when Palme was shot on a downtown street corner. One witness supported his testimony. Others disputed it.
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