Reykjavík Grapevine - Jun 2023, Qupperneq 10

The Reykjavík Grapevine 6 / 23 10
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WORDS Katla Gunnarsdóttir
IMAGES Art Bicnick
There haven't been many, but
they occur in Iceland as they do
every where else. Murders and vio-
lent crime. The harsh conditions
and isolation here are sure to drive
a man insane. But with so few inhab-
itants to choose from, it’s hard out
there for a serial killer.
No missing person goes unnoticed
and rural areas are notorious for
being home to busybodies with an
oddly vested interest in what you’re
hiding in that freshly dug hole in
your backyard.
SERIAN SUSPICIONS
There is only one record of a serial
killer in Iceland; the fearsome
“Axlar-Björn” or “Shoulder-Björn”
– a name earned from his hometown
of Öxl, which you may have ascer-
tained by now means “shoulder.” His
weapon of choice was an axe. One
of his victims, a young boy, escaped,
though his sister hadn’t been so
lucky. When Björn was questioned,
he was wearing the hat of a previous
victim, sealing his fate. He confessed
to 18 murders and was sentenced
to death, first by having all his limbs
broken and then being decapitated.
It should, of course, be noted that
this happened in 1596. Axlar-Björn’s
case is one of legend – Iceland’s one
and only serial killer… or are there
others?
Journalist, filmmaker and Iceland’s
no.1 true crime expert Sigursteinn
Másson doesn’t rule out there being
more than one serial killer. “What is
special in Iceland is how easy it is to
disappear into nature; in lava holes
or cracks,” he says. “There have been
50 or 60 missing per sons since the
Second World War. Some of those
are definitely murders.”
Sigursteinn’s true crime TV series
Sönn íslensk sakamál has been
going strong since 1999, still he’s
frequently asked if such a series is
necessary in a small community. To
that he says it’s even more impor-
tant to bring the facts of a criminal
case to light here since small town
gossip quickly tarnishes a person’s
reputation and can ruin their life
faster than any unlawful tendencies.
FORCED CONFESSION
“The case of Guðmundur and
Geirfinnur” revolves around the dis-
appearance of two men in 1974 who
were allegedly murdered, though
their bodies were never recovered.
It is Iceland’s most notorious crimi-
nal case.
In 1997, Sigursteinn was approached
by the number one suspect in the
case, Sævar Ciesielski, who wanted
to make some of his case records
public. He and his friends had been
convicted of the crime in 1975 with
no evidence of their guilt. The case
was cracked by forced confessions
after the accused were kept in iso-
lation – in one instance for two years
– and subjected to sleep deprivation
and torture.
Sigursteinn intended to write an ar-
ticle on the subject, but as he dug
deeper, he realized that a TV mini-
series would be necessary to cover
everything. He describes what
happened in the Guðmundur and
Geirfinnur case as a wild conspir-
acy against the accused, and a
unique case in Europe and possibly
even the whole world. The case still
haunts Sigursteinn and he subse-
quently lost his belief in the integrity
of the Icelandic justice system and
authorities after learning the truth.
The convicted were only pardoned
in 2018.
MADE FOR WOMEN
True crime podcasts have been
gaining a dedicated following all
over the world and Iceland is no
exception, with an abundance of
local series to choose from. Nína
Snorradóttir, host of legendary local
true crime podcast “Myrkur” (Dark-
ness) also subscribes to the belief
that there has been more than one
serial killer on this windspect is -
land. Remember the lava holes
and cracks? That's apparently a
great place to hide a body.
Who tunes in for these grizzly tales?
Women. Nína tells us that when she
started her podcast a few years
ago over 90% of her audience were
women. Since then more men and
non-binary folks have come aboard.
In Iceland around 78% percent of
suspects of violent crime are male.
One theory states that consciously
and unconsciously, women want
to be ready. As they account for
the majority of victims, they want
to know what to look out for.
BUT IS CRIME TRUE?
Contrary to popular belief, there are
alot of guns circulating in Iceland,
either registered to collectors or
used for hunting. That hasn’t trans-
lated to guns being the weapon of
choice in violent crimes. Those with
violent intentions usually go for
knives, screwdrivers or their bare
hands, possibly because murder
is almost never premeditated in
Iceland.
Today’s underworld is more orga-
nized than it once was and drug
trafficking is more prevalent, with
2022 being a record year for seized
narcotics.
Still, crime rates have stayed virtu-
ally the same since the 40s. There
was, however, a 12% uptick in violent
crime in 2022 compared to the me-
dian of the three years prior. There
were four murders that year, which
is unusually high. The likeliest expla-
nation for that statistical increase is
that violent crime had actually de -
creased during the pandemic and
then returned with a bang when re-
strictions were lifted.
Doctor of criminology Margrét
Valdimarsdóttir says there’s no need
to take any more precaution in Ice-
land than anywhere else, though she
said that less alcohol consumed on
a night out will make you a less likely
target for perpetrators of crime.
The landscape in today's Reykjavík
is a little different than it was back in
the Sturlungaöld, the age of vikings
and “an eye for an eye.” Back when
you couldn’t even laugh a little too
loud at someone’s bad joke without
being fearful for your life.
Today we really are doing pretty
good, with the third lowest murder
rate in Europe, almost “Best in
Show.” But, in all seriousness just
like anywhere else in the world; be
wary of suspicious individuals or
violent behavior wherever you are.
No missing person goes un-
noticed and rural areas are
notorious for being home
to busybodies with an oddly
vested interest in what you’re
hiding in that freshly dug hole
in your backyard.
The case still haunts Sigur-
steinn and he subsequently
lost his belief in the integrity
of the Icelandic justice system
and authorities after learning
the truth.
Huh, Interesting Is Crime True In Iceland?
How a small country can have so much true crime fodder