Lars Roger Karlsson (born 24 June 1968) is a Swedish man who committed a series of three murders in Gothenburg in January–February 2001. He grew up in a stable, middle-class environment, performed well in school, and was described as calm, kind, and reliable. After studying natural sciences and spending time as an exchange student in the United States, he built an early career in the restaurant industry and became well known within Gothenburg's nightlife scene. Despite this outward stability, Karlsson later described years of inner turmoil, self-destructive behavior, substance abuse, and increasing emotional instability. His plans to open his own restaurant collapsed after failed business ventures and bankruptcies in the late 1990s, leaving him financially ruined, deeply embittered, and psychologically fragile.
Between 29 January and 1 February 2001, during a period of heavy alcohol and amphetamine use, Karlsson killed three people who were all personally close to him: his former girlfriend Maria Domingues, whom he strangled and bludgeoned at Albatross Golf Club; another former partner, Cecilia Berglund, whom he killed with an axe in her apartment; and restaurateur Lars Hansson, whom he attacked with an axe in broad daylight on a central Gothenburg street.
After the third killing, Karlsson surrendered to police without resistance. He confessed to all three murders but claimed fragmented memory and was unable to give clear motives, particularly for the killings of the two women. Psychiatric evaluations concluded that he had been suffering from a severe psychotic disorder at the time of the crimes. In June 2001, found him guilty of three counts of murder but sentenced him to compulsory forensic psychiatric care rather than imprisonment.
Karlsson responded quickly to treatment. Within little more than a year, his condition was considered significantly improved, and courts began granting him increasing degrees of freedom. Already in late 2002 he was allowed to move freely within the hospital grounds, and in early 2003 he was granted unescorted leave outside the hospital. Despite objections from the prosecutor, appellate courts ruled that his treatment had been highly successful and that the risk of reoffending was considered low. By the autumn of 2003—less than three years after the murders—Karlsson was effectively living in the community on continuous leave under strict conditions, while formally remaining under psychiatric care.
Medical assessments concluded that Karlsson had suffered an acute psychotic break at the time of the killings, exacerbated by long-term substance abuse and fixation on perceived betrayals. He later expressed remorse, acknowledged the suffering he caused, and stated that he wished to live a quiet, ordinary life away from Gothenburg, accepting that he would remain under long-term psychiatric supervision.
Early life Karlsson was born on 24 June 1968 in in Falun, Sweden. In 1971, his family moved to Gothenburg. Shortly thereafter, his parents divorced, and his father relocated to Stockholm. Throughout his upbringing, Roger Karlsson lived alone with his mother in an apartment in Mölndal and had only sporadic contact with his father. He had no siblings, and his mother never remarried. According to a personal background investigation conducted by the Swedish Prison and Probation Service in the early 1990s, Karlsson described his childhood as safe, stable, and harmonious. The family had a good financial situation. His mother worked in the restaurant industry and held several managerial positions. Karlsson reported that he had little difficulty at school, both academically and socially. School staff later interviewed by Aftonbladet described him as a considerate and helpful student with a strong interest in history and religion. One school employee stated that Karlsson was known for assisting his classmates.
Karlsson attended the natural science program at Hvitfeldska Upper Secondary School in Gothenburg. He graduated with an average grade of 4.5 and spent one year as an exchange student in the United States. Former classmates described him as calm and gentle, stating that he "looked like Jesus" and was one of the quietest students in the class. Alongside his studies, he worked part-time as a bartender.
During the trial following the murders, Karlsson described a different internal reality. He stated that for approximately 16 years he had struggled with self-destructive behavior, including attempts to jump from windows and repeated acts of self-harm. He said that he was at times frightened by his own aggressiveness. He described a gradual escalation, noting that the violence had previously been directed toward himself and inanimate objects rather than others.
Career After graduating, Karlsson discontinued further academic studies. He did not complete his compulsory military service and was exempted in 1991 for medical reasons. He initially worked at Volvo Cars, later as a substitute teacher, and eventually transitioned into the restaurant industry. His first position in the industry was as a bartender at Brasserie Julien in Gothenburg. He quickly became popular among both guests and colleagues and developed a strong reputation in the local nightlife scene. Former coworkers described him as exceptionally kind, reliable, and well liked. Karlsson aspired to open his own restaurant. After Brasserie Julien, he worked at several venues in Gothenburg, including O'Learys, Dailys, and the nightclub Harleys. Former colleagues described him as a workaholic with a strong sense of responsibility and sound financial habits. At the age of 23, he earned approximately 250,000 SEK annually and purchased a new Volvo. He consistently saved money to finance his own business venture.
In 1995, restaurateur Lars Hansson contacted Karlsson and proposed that they open the nightclub Harleys in Halmstad together. Karlsson and Hansson had known each other for many years; Hansson had previously employed Karlsson, and they later became business partners together with Hansson's partner. The venture faced severe financial difficulties and ultimately failed after a few years. Karlsson declared personal bankruptcy in 1997, while their jointly owned company was declared bankrupt in August 1998, with claims totaling approximately three million SEK. According to industry sources, Karlsson became embittered, believing that he had borne the financial losses while Hansson avoided consequences. Karlsson did not appear at bankruptcy court hearings, reportedly due to illness. Investigators concluded that the company's share capital had been consumed well beyond legal limits and noted that criminal offenses related to inventory could not be ruled out.
After the bankruptcy, Karlsson returned to Gothenburg, where he worked as a bartender and was regarded as a "yuppie bartender." He later ran a catering business supplying, among others, and 7-Eleven, but the contracts were lost and the business collapsed. He took temporary jobs, including at Albatross Golf Club, while continuing to plan new ventures in the restaurant industry. In the spring of 2001, Karlsson planned to start over by opening a café in , demonstrating his continued ambition to reestablish himself in the food and beverage industry despite previous financial setbacks.
Karlsson was unmarried and had no children. He had a girlfriend at the time of the investigation. Karlsson appeared in eleven entries in the criminal record since 1984, four of which are fines for minor offenses. The most serious crimes prior to the murders in 2001 were committed in 1991: assault, unlawful threats, and theft. The following year, in 1992, he was sentenced to one month in prison. Just over a year before the murders, he was charged with criminal damage and unlawful possession of an object in a public place; the sentenced him to 50-day-fines. The most recent conviction dated from May 2000, when he drove a car without wearing a seat belt. He was then ordered to pay a fine of 300 kronor.
Murders First murder
On Monday, 29 January 2001, Roger Karlsson worked as usual at the restaurant at Albatross Golf Club in Gothenburg. For approximately six months, he had secretly consumed alcohol on a daily basis. He and his girlfriend planned to open a sushi kitchen, but that day the bank informed them that they would not receive a rental guarantee. At the same time, municipal environmental authorities confiscated food he had delivered to an ICA store. He was also suffering from persistent toothache. Before visiting the dentist, Karlsson purchased beer and spirits and drank heavily. He later stated that he had already begun fantasizing about acts of violence. That same day, he falsely told a taxi driver that he had served eight years in prison for attacking someone with an axe.
That evening, Karlsson met his former girlfriend, 29-year-old Maria Domingues, at Restaurant Gambero. Afterward, they went to the closed and unlit restaurant at Albatross Golf Club to continue drinking. Karlsson later stated that his memory of the events was fragmented. At dawn, he found himself lying on the golf course with Maria beside him and a large blood-stained stone nearby. He realized that she was lifeless. He later recalled strangling her and repeatedly striking her head with the stone, killing her. He hid her body in a rhododendron bush near the tenth tee and changed his trousers.
During the night, Karlsson entered the golf club building using a key he had retained from earlier employment. He took money from a cash register. On Tuesday, 30 January 2001, relatives reported both Karlsson and Maria missing. Maria's body was later discovered in a bush near the tenth tee. She had been strangled and sustained multiple blunt-force injuries to the head. On Wednesday, 31 January 2001 at 21:59, the police issued a missing-person notice for Karlsson and a public alert regarding Maria to all hotels in Gothenburg, but it yielded no results.
Second murder Over the next day, Karlsson wandered around Gothenburg, socializing with alcoholics and heavy drinkers, visiting pornographic clubs, taking pills, and buying amphetamines in a park. During this time, he did not contact his current girlfriend. He purchased an axe at B&W, intending to use it against a restaurateur whom he believed had cheated him in a previous business venture. From a payphone, he then contacted his former fiancée, 32-year-old Cecilia Berglund, to whom he had been engaged ten years earlier, and asked if he could stay overnight at her apartment on Norra Gubberogatan in , Gothenburg. Karlsson and Berglund had previously been engaged and lived together, but their relationship had ended at Karlsson's initiative. According to Karlsson, there had been no conflict between them. That evening, they sat in her kitchen drinking alcohol and talking. Berglund prepared a bed for him on the sofa, after which Karlsson went to shower. Unable to sleep, he got up and continued drinking, attempting to place the gin bottle down silently so as not to wake her.
Early on Thursday, 1 February 2001, Karlsson murdered Berglund in her apartment while she was asleep. He struck her multiple times with the axe to the head and face. After her death, he sexually violated her body. He later recalled walking across a parking lot and discarding a set of keys, knowing they belonged to her. During police interrogation, when asked about his feelings toward Berglund, he described her as "the best girl in the world" and "an angel." Karlsson was unable to provide any motive for the killing and, as with the other murders, reported significant memory gaps regarding the event.
Third murder and arrest