The murdered Hanna Johansdotter (1867-1889)
On the 28th of March, 1889, a mother and son took part in the murder of the son’s wife, Hanna Johansdotter, in Yngsjö, Sweden.
Mother and Son
Anna Månsdotter had a sexual relationship with her son, Per Nilsson, and it is said the marriage was arranged as a cover.
Though there were conflicting reports of what actually happened, it is believed the mother beat Hanna with a piece of wood, strangled her, and then she was dressed and posed to look like she fell down the stairs. It is believed the motive may have been that Hanna discovered the physical relationship between the two.
Anna moments before her execution on the 7th of August, 1890.
The executioner is second from the left, with the axe hidden behind his back.
Anna Månsdotter was executed the following year, making her the last woman to be executed in Sweden, while her son was eventually released from hard labour in prison before dying of tuberculosis in 1918.
(I apologise for the tiny print! I can’t make copied-and-pasted text bigger, and I need to copy and paste those Swedish words, because I can’t type them!)
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