When the Law Turns Bad: Tore Hedin
Tore Hedin was a Swedish spree killer, born in January 1927, in Stora Harrie, around 18 miles from Malmö, Sweden. Hedin excelled at school but lacked social aptitude. He wanted to be a police officer and so he worked hard, ensuring that he made the grades he needed to enter the academy.
Hedin became a celebrity in Saxtorp, as he was now a respected officer in the police force and was on the most important case the town had seen; there was an axe murderer on the loose. He was the face of the investigation, and updated townsfolk at community meetings and answered their questions. His fame had become national, with far corners of Sweden knowing the name of Tore Hedin.
September 1943 saw his first, petty, crime. Hedin broke into a brewery near his parents’ home to steal oats. He then burned down the brewery to conceal what he had done.
Eight years later, he committed his first murder. He killed his friend John Nilsson whilst playing a game of poker at Nilsson’s home. He took the money from the poker game and again burned down the building to prevent anything from the crime scene being linked to him. Because the crime happened in his jurisdiction, Hedin took part in the investigation into his own crime and steered his fellow officers away from his involvement in the murder and arson.
