different realities and reactions sent to the appellate court in Jönköping, which approved it.571 Thepositive findings about her by the examining officials saw Maria Johansdotter released from prison on January 10th 1846 and turned over to the custody of her father.572 This outcome of a murder trial shows a rather novel approach to an old problem. Maria Johansdotter had been judged temporally insane when she committed her crime. When her sanity was restored no reason to keep her incarcerated remained. The vital proof of her insanity was her motive to commit the murder. Although the case of Maria Johansdotter was something of a rarity and in many ways after its time, it was not the last Swedish case of a murder committed aiming to be executed. April 18th 1867 the farmer Jonas Berglin in the village Byn in the parish of Liden in the county of Västernorrland murdered his seventeen years old farm-hand Karl Olof Stafverman with an axe. The motive he gave was that he wanted to be executed as he was tired of life.573 Thewish of Berglin was not fulfilled. The physicians decided he was suffering from a periodical mental illness, and thus did not have the capacity to freely decide his actions and consider their results.574 He was thus sentenced by the district court for manslaughter and sent to a psychiatric hospital.575 571 Records (esp 6 November p 1021 with the sentence) 1845 AIa 133 Konga häradsrätts arkiv VaLA, nr 123 BIIa:294 Huvudarkivet Göta hovrätts arkiv VaLA, nr 123 EVac:1047 Huvudarkivet Göta hovrätts arkivVaLA(including the reports of Erik Samuel Wennberg 4 September 1845 and of Sundhetskollegium 20 October 1845). 572 Prisoner list for Växjö December 1845EIIIcc:1024 Justitiekanslerns arkivRAS. Prisoner list for Växjö January 1846 EIIIcc:1063 Justitiekanslerns arkiv RAS. Note for January 1846 DIIIa:7 Kriminalvårdsanstalten i Växjö arkiv VaLA, draft of letter to B Oséen nr 14 5 January1846BI:78 Kronobergs läns landskanslis arkivVaLA, undated note inDIIIa:14Kriminalvårdsanstalten i Växjö arkivVaLA. 573 ”På fråga om bevekelsegrunden till brottet förklarade Berglin, det han som vore ledsen vid livet, trott sig medelst ifrågavarande brotts begående kunna åsamka sig dödsstraff.” Report by local police chief Fredrik Sjödin 18 April 1867, printed in Sundswalls Posten 27 April 1867. 574 Draft of letter from Sundhetscollegium to the governor of Westernorrland, 8 July 1867 BIA:67 SundhetscollegiumRAS. 575 Note 4 August 1867 Westernorrlands Länsfängelse EIIIcc:1647 Justitiekanslerns arkiv RAS. 163
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