The Murder of Gerd Johansson: Olle Möller (Part 1)

Scandinavian Crimes (w/ Devante & Delila)

Year(s) of Incident: December 19, 1939
Location: Sweden
The Murder of Gerd Johansson: Olle Möller (Part 1)
Victim(s):  1
Method: Murder, Sexual Assault

The Olle Möller-Gerd murder case is a notorious criminal case in Sweden that revolves around the conviction of Olle Möller, a Swedish athlete, for the murder of 10-year-old Gerd Johansson in 1939. It has remained one of the most debated legal cases in Swedish history due to lingering questions about the evidence and Möller's guilt.

 The case is often cited in discussions about wrongful convictions, the reliability of eyewitness testimony, and the importance of due process. It has also inspired books, documentaries, and ongoing debate in Sweden about the justice system's handling of high-profile cases.
 

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Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction
• 2:26 Story - Background of Olle Möller
• 6:30 Story - Disappearance of Gerd
• 8:06 Story - Finding the body and Investigation
• 10:25 Story - Interrogation and Trial
• 15:10 Discussion Section
• 21:47 Conclusion/Outro

Transcript

Welcome to "Scandinavian Crimes." My name is Devontae, and say hello to my lovely co-host Delilah.

 Hi.

 And on this podcast, we talk about famous Scandinavian criminals who made their mark throughout Scandinavian history. So welcome, welcome back. I hope you enjoyed the previous episode, but this one we have a very,



 it's an old episode, I said not old episode, but an old case, but it's very, very well-documented. So it's about a story of a boy who rose from poverty to become a celebrated running star, basking in the applause of thousands, right?



 But just a year later, his life took a really interesting turn and he found himself behind bars, convicted of a brutal murder of a young girl.



 In a case that shocked the entire nation, Ole Muller would be everywhere in the media.



 Despite the weight of the evidence against him, he maintained his innocence until his last breath.



 So in this particular episode, we will explore the complexities of the Ole Muller case.



 Was it truly a brutal double murder, or was he a victim of one of the most notorious judicial errors in history?



 After hearing all that,



 you already know what I'm about to say. Grab your tea, grab your snacks,



 feel on your way to work, you already know to tuck yourself into a nice little quiet corner,



 and really listen in,



 because this is a story of Ole Muller and the Yurd Murder Case, part one.



 In 1906, Eileen Muller opened her door in Detroit to find John, the sawmill worker she loved, holding her newborn son, Ole.



 He had promised to marry her and support them, but soon after, she received devastating news. John had died in a sudden accident.



 Suddenly, Eileen was a single mother with no money in a foreign land. Although Ole cherished his mother, their bond weakened after John's death. Returning to Sweden, Eileen faced judgment from the townspeople and briefly dated an abusive alcoholic bricklayer.



 Eventually, she found work as a housekeeper for a paper worker in Almbi, just outside of Urebro, where she cooked, cleaned, and sold for him while enduring a very harsh life.



 Ole's meals were scant, just soup, pork, and potatoes, never enough for a growing boy. The paper worker frequently cursed at Ole, claiming there would never be enough food for such a hungry child. As time passed, the paper worker's anger escalated from quick slaps to beatings with a stick. Ole learned to endure the pain, but the constant hunger gnawed at him more deeply, filling him with jealousy and longing for enough to eat. At school, he was mocked and called names like the poor boy and the bastard without a father.



 Frustrated, he lashed out, but earned no respect or fear from his peers.



 His grades suffered, with many failing marks, leading his teacher to see him as untalented and lacking potential. In the summer of 1921, 17-year-old Ole applied for a job as a farm worker. Although the farmer acknowledged Ole's skills and way with animals, his attitude irritated the head farmer. That frustration boiled over and the farmer attacked Ole with a pitchfork. Ole defended himself with a shovel and ran away, never to return. From that day on, Ole trained at a boxing gym, determined to take control of his life. He wanted to become a boxer, knowing fitness was key to success.



 One day he asked some cross-country runners if he could join them. They hesitated, doubted he could even keep up, but soon realized they had severely underestimated him.



 Running on the track felt stifling, but in the running, he found freedom. He trained diligently running for hours along winding paths.



 In the 1920s, running gained massive popularity and competitions attracted thousands of spectators.



 Ole excelled, eventually standing on the podium as a Swedish champion, transforming from "Ilen's boy, the bastard" into a national idol.



 His victories are multiplied. He won the "Sleipner" competition in Skundsen in Stockholm for three consecutive years. Supported by fans and celebrated by the media, Ole received numerous awards from the highest echelons of society. Ole enjoyed striking up conversation with strangers, seeing himself as a friendly, sociable person.



 However, not everyone appreciated his bold style. Some called him cocky and boastful, speaking unkindly behind his back. Outside Sweden, clouds of worry gathered. British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain spoke of peace, but few took him seriously. As Ole's running career wound down, he started selling potatoes. With war looming and fuel rationing likely, he focused on saving money.



 In 1939, Ole opened a cafe next to the new football arena in Røsunde Sølne with big plans of the future. Then the Jad story broke, changing everything and shattering his dreams. Jad Johanisin lived with her parents in Birkogaten, 23 in Stockholm.



 On December 1st, 1939, she turned 10.



 A freckled girl with ash-colored hair, Jad was big for her age and known for her kindness, always helping her parents and holding doors for others. But these happy memories would be overshadowed by tragedy.



 It was a cold Christmas marking the grim winter of war. The day before, Stalin had declared war on Finland, prompting many Swedish men to enlist in order to support.



 On December 1st, Jad played hide and seek outside, seemingly unaffected by the turmoil.



 At a quarter to five, she accompanied two older boys to a perfume shop on St. Eddixplan. Minutes later, when the boys emerged, she was gone, and they assumed she had gone home.



 Inside the apartment, her parents grew worried as the clock ticked on. They searched block by block, but found no trace of Jad. Meanwhile, the murderer had spotted her at St. Eddixplan and called her over, offering coins to buy something nice.



 After she returned disappointed from a clothes pastry shop, he suggested taking her to one that was open.



 As Jad hesitated, the murderer shifted his approach, luring her closer to his dirty car. Suddenly, he seized her, pulled her into the backseat, and sped away. Jad's faint cry for help echoing into the square. On December 9th, 1939, 12-year-old Henry, Billy, and Sam Gulemi set out to test the ice on Lurchurn, just outside of Suddenbyburg. As dusk approached on a Friday afternoon, the boys crossed a sandy ridge overlooking the lake and noticed something partially concealed in the snow.



 One of the boys stopped abruptly.



 Cautiously, he stepped closer and discovered it was a body of a girl around 10 years old, relying motionless in a pit.



 The kids rushed to the closest adult to alert the police.



 An hour later, two officers arrived at the scene. The autopsy report was shocking. Jad had likely been strangled with her scarf. The report noted that she had been subjected to sexual violence.



 Shortly before her death, and possibly while she was already unconscious, she had been raped. The girl's body was discarded no more than an hour after her abduction. Fibers from Jute were found in Jada's coat, likely originating from a sack along with dog hairs. This led the police to search for a suspect with both a car and a dog.



 The public was in uproar, and the pressure on the police was mounting.



 Then tips began to flood in.



 Just before five o'clock, someone reported seeing Yurd getting into the car on Torusgatan, a hundred meters from Birkagatan, 23. The driver was described as a man in a trench coat. As tips began to flood in, many directed attention to one individual,



 Ole Muller. He owned a dog and drove the van filled with old potato sacks. However, the police were taken aback by the name. An athletic star with a clean reputation? It didn't seem believable to the police.



 Ole didn't own a trench coat, yet other evidence raised suspicion about him. Witnesses reported seeing him in Torusgatan, and those around him claimed he had an interest in young girls. He was arrested, but denied the charges and was released after a week due to a lack of evidence.



 Nevertheless, doubts about Ole remained. After nearly a year of investigation, he was arrested once more in December, 1940, this time with stronger evidence in the hands of the prosecutor.



 Interrogations continued around the clock. Time and again, the same question was posed. What were you doing at five o'clock on December 1st?



 Ole struggled to recall his activities and his anxious search for an alibi, he became overwhelmed and conflicting details. He claimed to have met people he had never actually seen and to have visited places he had never been.



 Eventually he crafted a narrative. He stated that he had delivered a load of potatoes to a shop in Frigatan around five o'clock and had then met a fellow athlete before heading to the garage.



 However, these details could not be substantiated. Between five and six, Ole remained a man without an alibi.



 Over a hundred of Ole's friends and acquaintances were questioned as newspapers turned hostile, accusing him of ruining his marriage with infidelity and violence. His ex-wife was pressured and humiliated in public questioning, though she insisted that Ole had never shown deviant behavior or forced her into anything.



 Witnesses claimed that Ole pursued every woman he met, sometimes by force.



 Through all this media attention and interrogation, Ole maintained his innocence. During the trial, the prosecutor focused on Ole's shepherd dog, who was always found lying in the back of Ole's van, atop of the potato sacks.



 Shortly after the murder, Ole visited the veterinarian to have the dog euthanized. On the form, he listed his name as Pettersson and requested that the veterinarian change the date on the receipt.



 Ole claimed that the date was related to the dog tax and that by changing it, he could receive a refund.



 A professor of veterinary medicine analyzed the dog cares found on Yaw's coat and compared them to those discovered in Ole's home.



 This marked the first time such a test had been conducted in Sweden. However, the results were disappointing. It would not be definitively determined whether the dog cares on the coat came from Ole's shepherd or not.



 During the psychological evaluation, he was shown a board displaying a series of numbers, then a scarf was tied over his eyes



 and he was asked to repeat the series.



 The test had gone smoothly and Ole was prepared for the next one when another psychologist entered the room. He informed Ole that he needed his scarf back and offered him a different one instead.



 Caught off guard by the change, Ole struggled to recall any of the numbers. The scarf he was given had belonged to Gurd. The supervising examiner noted that Ole's reaction seemed to indicate a clear sign of recognition, which led to disruptions in his attention and memory functions. Ole blamed his poor performance on the interruption, claiming it had caused him stress. The relentless media coverage of Ole continued through the harsh winter of 1941,



 keeping his name in constant circulation. Though key witnesses struggled to identify Ole and his car and the clothing didn't match the description, his lawyer Hugo Lindberg found it difficult to gain traction amid the media frenzy. As the award grew more for tips, details and witnesses accounts shifted suddenly.



 Cars were called vans and trench coats became sports jackets with new recollections emerging months later. During his first court appearance, Ole faced seven hours of intense cross-examination with prosecutors displaying photos of the victim and pushing provocative questions. Under pressure, he became visibly agitated, declaring his innocence, which the prosecutor claimed added a fluttering aspect to his demeanor.



 A new claim emerged when a fellow inmate alleged that Ole had tried to secure a false alibi and even confessed to the murder. Though Ole denied this, the court viewed the circumstantial evidence as compelling. Under the intense public pressure for justice, Ole was sentenced to 10 years of hard labor for Gurd's murder on March 7th, 1941.



 After over a year of investigation, he showed no reaction at sentencing, but later broke down in tears outside the courtroom. In 1942, Ole married a woman who had supported him through the trial, but as years passed, her visits and letters stopped, and he eventually agreed to a divorce.



 Finally, on September 1st, 1948, he was released.



 Embracing his freedom, he wandered through the city blending with the crowd.



 One day, he met a waitress, Kirsten, at his favorite cafe.



 Introducing himself as Manfred, a potato merchant, he eventually revealed his past. She accepted him despite everything, and they became a couple hoping for a fresh start.



 So before we start with anything, I just wanna point out that this is a very old case. It's closer to like 100 years ago.



 And the reason we like overly explained like the tests and the media and everything was because it influenced a lot.



 And obviously the psychological evaluation test is very flawed, and I'm pretty sure they don't do that anymore.



 But a lot of the tests and the media,



 also basically giving money to anybody who will give tips could also be biased. And like there's a lot of errors



 because this is a very old case, and this is studied till this day. People still try to analyze this case



 and talk about everything that's happened here. So I just wanted to add that and make sure that you understand that it's an old case. Everything was pretty. They tried to do new things and new experiments and stuff.



 But it's very lacking in research and technology.



 So we have a lot of information about his past, and this is in a setting of during war times, obviously. But when he was younger, you could tell that he went through a lot of abuse of different angles.



 And it's a little bit like weird regarding his father because in the beginning, I think Ellen was in love with John, obviously, but John is not the real father.



 It's actually another guy who is the father of Ole, but she never wanted that to be openly open for people to know.



 But I think her plan was, or she wanted John to be the father and never mention the other guy. So I guess they didn't work out. But the other guy's name is Benhart Halbarri, and he was actually a station master in Degerforsch. And Ole actually went there to meet him, but he was very dismissing and everything, and he didn't really wanna believe that he is the son of, that he was the father.



 So yet again, his identity and him being hated by people, he had to become somebody important in order for him being loved, but yet he was always still being mistreated. But like, oh yeah, he's too cocky, he's too social, he's too this, he's too that.



 And because he started becoming famous, becoming a runner, you always have haters. And the media basically, when Yurd disappeared and the whole, he got accused for it, they just snatched on that story and was so involved in the whole case,



 making it very biased, I would say. They just wanted a good story.



 So I wanted to ask you, Devonté, what do you think, do you think he did it, or he was at the wrong place at the wrong time?



 Or do you think that he was like,



 he murdered and raped her? Because there was a lot of people who said that he is weird, but also he was very determined about his innocence.



 I think that, I don't even think he's at the wrong, at the wrong place at the wrong time. Based on the information that was presented in the story,



 it seems like this is an outright just character kind of. So basically not a frame job per se, but basically because people had an issue with who he was as a person at one point, they just feel like, oh, it's easier to blame him.



 So that's kind of what this is.

 I feel that too.



 I feel like that's what's kind of the direction this is going. So because of who he was when he was younger,



 he was still a victim in many ways. He was a victim of his environment, his circumstances, people didn't treat him kindly. And then he was doing this in response to his environment. He found something that he was good at where he was a good runner. He became a celebrity, one, two, three years back to back for various awards, was able to pull himself together, start a business, save money.

 He found an outlet to like, Yeah. Have a healthy, a happy life, yeah.

 He found an outlet. And then, but people just refuse to let him change or be anything different. Because like you said, they're haters. They were like, oh, well, how come he gets to do all this? And then now, because of those rumors, because of things that people said, so when his situation happened, remember he didn't even match the description. He didn't even have a trench coat. They couldn't even verify the dog was

 a part of- The tips changed to fit him as a description. In the beginning they said like, He didn't even match.



 Yeah, yeah. And then ultimately they just morphed the case around him. So it has to be him versus actually looking for the real person who did it. So me personally, based on what the information is saying, I don't think he's done it. He did the crime. It's just one of those situations where people, it's like, you know, as they would say, fake news.



 But- Because there was no like real physical evidence.



 It's more like witnesses and hearsay. Yeah.



 There was nothing tying him to it. There was nothing tying him at all. Not even remotely.



 So that's why this is, many have studied this, that this could have been like a miscarriage of justice.



 And it's still actually talked about in courses of like, people who like study criminology and stuff.



 But it's like, you know, it's an old case, you know, for some reason that the newspapers and everything had so much influence and they even were like giving people money to give tips. That's like crazy because then people just gonna say something that matched the potential guy and then get the money for it. So it's just a very biased and yeah.



 So I think like, it's hard to say if he did it or not. I mean, obviously he had a dog and he also, the weird thing about the, he changed his last name and the date and everything of the euthanization. Sure, that's weird. It's very conveniently like matching with everything that happened, that he's gonna get rid of the dog the same day and stuff like that. Like I get it, but it's so hard to really like say that that's evidence, you know?



 Yeah, because-

 Because you just didn't wanna pay dog tax.

 Which makes sense on paper.

 It makes sense too.

 He would've paid more money. He would've refunded.

 I just feel like it's the wrong place at the wrong time, kind of. Like he was very unlucky. He got the short end of the stick.



 My only regards to the dog though, cause anything else,

 I was just like- I mean also being there, you know, with the potato sacks of jute and like,



 yeah.

 But I wouldn't even be surprised either if someone did the crime with him in mind. There was like, I wanna set this person up because like, you know, people hating on someone can really go far.

 Can go all the way for a celebrity hating, yeah.

 So I would not be surprised if someone went that hard, killed someone just to frame him up knowing that he has a business and involves potatoes and he had a dog and he didn't even have the right car. But you know-

 I think they actually made a book about his life and I think he was a bibliography, bibliography. I don't know how to say it, but he was basically, like after people read the book, they started thinking that maybe he was like innocent. Yeah. And that's also a little bit scary in a sense because we've seen that in media,



 like we've seen a lot of media shows or media documentaries or whatever, where they portray the murderer as like this innocent person, but they did something horrible. And I just wanna be like, clear with like, if you guys are interested in reading that, go ahead and do it.



 But before that book came out and some of this text and story is also based from that book or his part of the story.



 But like before that came out,



 basically it was very, everybody thought it was him because everything was just pointing at him.

 Yeah.

 So I just wanna like, I think having an open mind about this case and analyzing it is very interesting, but like he could have been the, raped her and murdered her.



 We don't really know.

 Yeah, we don't really know.

 Media can angle everything, you know?

 Yeah, so this is solely based on what we know in the story, we weren't there, but if you have different opinions, this is what the platform is for, let us know in our social medias, let us know in the review sections, which lead to my next point, be sure to leave us nice little reviews and so we can discuss these things as well. And also just, it helps us to reach more people who are interested in this stuff. But yeah, just let us know what you think. And I feel like we haven't done this in a while, but we probably have.



 In the episode "The Good Note", any food?



 I really want, I think it's because I saw this TikTok video about this SpongeBob episode of this, you know, the really, the green fish guy.

 Oh, bubble bass.

 Yeah, bubble, yeah, and then he was like, "I want this extra large, whatever, four patties." And I don't know, his order was crazy. And now I have this image of not even a burger, it's usually a tall sandwich with multiple layers of things in it. And that's basically what I want.



 You just want a ton of meat?



 That's outrageous that you said that. I just want a, I don't know, a cartoon tall sandwich.



 He wanna, that's okay, I understand. But that doesn't sound good though. I'll meet you on that one.

 Okay.



 So we both have burgers.



 What? I didn't say burger, I said sandwich.



 First, bubble bass was ordering a burger

 from the Krusty Krab. I know he ordered a burger, but like, he inspired me to want a big ass sandwich, like a really tall, like multiple layered sandwich.

 To want like a Scooby-Doo sized sandwich?

 Yes.



 I'm so dead. That still sounds good though.

 But I mean, I don't mind the Krab-a-Patty either.

 All right, sounds like a plan. So that is what we'll both be having today, you know? And you're also, you guys are welcome to let us know what are some foods you like as well to keep things lighthearted. But thanks again for listening and we shall catch you next time. Peace out.

 Bye.



 (Soft Music)