Source: The Local
Stockholm -- A 35-year-old man thought to be a serial murderer was indicted on Tuesday, suspected of murder, attempted murder, aggravated robbery, and theft.

All of the suspect’s victims were gay men, reports The Local, an English-language Swedish news site.

The man, whose name cannot be released under Swedish law unless he is convicted, is charged with killing a 43-year-old man in the victim’s apartment in the Stockholm suburb of Solna on December 28th of last year, and on the previous day of having robbed and attempted to kill a 44-year-old man on Södermalm in Stockholm.

The Solna victim was found bound and stabbed to death in his apartment after colleagues reported that he had not turned up to work.

Before the 35-year-old left the Solna apartment he stole the victim’s wallet, which held 900 kronor ($150). Nearly the same scene played out during another robbery in the Södermalm district on December 9th. That time, the 35-year-old took the victim’s computer, several bottles of alcohol, and some jewelry.

The suspected killer was arrested in January for the second Södermalm assault.

In addition, the 35-year-old is suspected for having robbed yet another man on December 15th in Midsommarkransen south of Stockholm.

“All the victims were, or are, homosexual. He has taken advantage of their sexual preferences and violated them,” said public prosecutor Fredrik Ingblad.

The suspect made contact with the men through different internet chat sites, The Local reports. Prosecutors allege that he gave the impression of wanting to have sex with the men he met online.

When the men finally met -- usually in the victim's apartment, the appointments quickly descended into brutal violence.

When the suspect was arrested in January Stockholm Police spokesman Mikael Ekman said, "With this kind of crime, people cherry pick their victims. He is choosing people whom he believes will not make reports. In a way he might be right, because it's not so easy to open up to the police."

Ingblad views each of the crimes as a hate crime committed with the intention of violating the victims on account of their sexual orientation.

“The crimes are very serious. He’s victimized vulnerable people. He didn’t believe they would dare report him because of their sexual orientation and because they met on the internet. This makes the crimes extra serious,” Ingblad told the TT news agency.

The 35-year-old was previously jailed for one-and-a-half years for an attack in 2006 on an elderly gay man whom he arranged to meet after chatting to him on the internet.

During the attack, which took place in Årsta, another Stockholm suburb, the man thumped his victim and attacked him with a knife and a lit cigarette. The attacker threatened to run the knife through his victim's spine. He was traced through records of his internet chats. During the trial he said he could not explain why he carried out the attack.

The man denies the murder and attempted murder, but confesses totally or partially to circumstances surrounding the three robberies.

He has also been informed that he is suspected of the murder of a woman in Eslöv in southern Sweden in 2000 and may soon be indicted in that case as well.

Full article: The Local - 'Serial murderer' charged in gay killing | The Local
Man charged with brutal gay hate attacks | The Local
Police fear gay attacker may have other victims | The Local