Peter Lundin

Case record: Peter Lundin

Identity

Peter Lundin was born in Solrød Strand, Denmark in 1971. His family migrated to the United States when he was seven years old. He was born Peter Kenneth Bostrøm Lundin and was more commonly known as Peter Lundin.

While incarcerated for the murders committed in Denmark, Peter Lundin changed his name to Bjarne Skounborg.

Background

Peter Lundin was a Danish convicted murderer.

In April 1991, Lundin strangled his mother to death in Maggie Valley, North Carolina.

The offence

Murder of his mother (North Carolina, United States)

With the help of his father, he buried her body on a beach at Cape Hatteras, where it was found eight months later.

Murder and dismemberment of Marianne Pedersen and her sons (Denmark)

After returning to Denmark, Lundin moved in with his wife in Måløv, but she kicked him out because he was violent with her.

Lundin met a woman called Marianne Pedersen, who worked in a brothel. Pedersen and her two sons, who were living in Rødovre near Copenhagen, were declared missing on July 3, 2000.

Lundin initially claimed that Pedersen and her sons had left on vacation and that he had agreed to paint their house. Police discovered blood traces in Pedersen's car and the basement of her house on July 5, 2000.

Further examinations of the house led to the conclusion that Pedersen and her sons had been killed and dismembered. The detective in charge of the investigation, Niels Kjøller of the Hvidovre Police Department, described the basement and garage of the house as resembling "slaughterhouses", despite Lundin's attempts to clean the crime scene.

Discovery of human tissue revealed that Lundin had used an angle grinder, and more than 100 visible markings in the floors revealed that he had also used an axe.

Three weeks later, Lundin changed his statement, claiming he heard screaming on the night of the crime and discovered that Pedersen had killed her sons. He found her passed out on drugs and fatally hit her, after which he dismembered the bodies. He claimed to have withheld this information because he knew the police wouldn't believe him because of his criminal past.

On October 10, 2000, Lundin again changed his statement, admitting to the murders. He admitted to first killing Pedersen because she had been "talking sweetly" to a man on the telephone, on the night between June 16–17, 2000, then killing her sons. All three died of broken necks.

In spite of extensive searches, the dismembered bodies have never been found.

Investigation

For the Marianne Pedersen case:

• Pedersen and her two sons were declared missing on July 3, 2000.
• Human tissue was found, showing that an angle grinder had been used.
• More than 100 visible markings in the floors indicated that an axe had also been used.
• The detective in charge, Niels Kjøller of the Hvidovre Police Department, described the basement and garage of the house as resembling "slaughterhouses", despite Lundin's attempts to clean the crime scene.

Arrest

Lundin was promptly arrested after the July 5, 2000 discovery of blood traces in Pedersen's car and the basement of her house.

Trial

Conviction for the North Carolina murder (April 1991)

In 1992, Lundin was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for the murder of his mother.

His father, Ole Lundin, was sentenced to two years as an accomplice.

Lundin was found not to be insane.

Conviction for the Denmark murders (2000; trial resulting in life sentence)

In 2001, a jury sentenced Lundin to life imprisonment for the murders of Marianne Pedersen and her sons.

Sentencing

Appeals

No appeal information was stated.

Other details

Release and deportation

Released and deported to Denmark in 1999.

Psychiatric assessment

While serving his sentence, Peter Lundin was interviewed by Danish television in 1994, with his face painted partially black and quoting a poem on the "light and dark sides of life". After viewing this interview, a renowned Swedish psychologist, Sten Levander, awarded Lundin 39 points (of a possible 40) on the Psychopathy Checklist.

Prison history and transfers

He initially served his sentence in the Herstedvester prison in Albertslund near Copenhagen, but was later transferred to a new prison near Horsens.

Incarcerated marriage and divorce

After viewing the program on TV 2 in 1994, many women contacted Peter Lundin. He married one of these, named Tina, while still serving in his US prison.

On September 29, 2008, it was reported that Peter Lundin had again been married while incarcerated (this time for the Pedersen murders). After just 11 days, the woman filed for divorce, not because of his criminal past, but because she claimed he had lied to her about another woman who turned out to be his girlfriend at the time of the wedding.

Assault by other inmates (Vridsløselille prison)

On July 27, 2000, that was before Lundin was sentenced for the murders, several inmates in the Vridsløselille prison assaulted Peter Lundin, supposedly because they were angry with his part in the murder of children.

Theft sentence for Ole Lundin

Lundin's father, Ole, was sentenced to four months in prison for theft of items owned by Pedersen.

Lawsuits and media comments

Lawsuit against a journalist from Information

A journalist on the Danish newspaper Information called Peter Lundin a psychopath by writing the sentence "We are, basically, not clinical psychopaths in the Peter Lundin category (Danish: Vi er, kort sagt, ikke kliniske psykopater i Peter Lundin-klassen )" in an editorial not otherwise about Peter Lundin. This prompted Lundin to file a lawsuit.

The lawsuit was settled in a court of law, clearing the journalist of charges with the explanation that the sentence should be taken as a statement that the plaintiff is a clear-cut example of a psychopath in the sense of a deviating person (Danish: Sætningen skal forstås som en udtalelse om, at sagsøgeren er et klart eksempel på en psykopat i betydningen karakterafvigende person).

Lawsuit against Pia Kjærsgaard

In November 2008, leader of the Danish People's Party, Pia Kjærsgaard, called Peter Lundin callous in a program on TV 2, which prompted Lundin to file a lawsuit against her demanding 100,000 kroner in compensation. However Lundin lost the lawsuit.

Public and media attention

A publishing house of Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet sparked a lot of debate when it announced plans in 2001 to cooperate with Lundin to write a book about him. The plans were dropped shortly after the announcement on the grounds that the book would not contain enough "news and quality content".

In 2003, the book "Sagen Lundin. Forbrydelsen, opklaringen, medierne og ondskaben ( The Lundin Case. The crime, the investigation, the media, and the evil )" by Palle Bruus Jensen was released, including analyses by psychiatrist Henrik Day Poulsen.

Peter Lundin received much attention in the Danish public. A Facebook group called "Lundin - Bør ALDRIG løslades" (Danish: Lundin - Bør ALDRIG løslades ) had more than 35,000 members.

Timeline

• April 1991 — Lundin strangled his mother to death in Maggie Valley, North Carolina; he and his father buried the body on a beach at Cape Hatteras.
• 1992 — Lundin was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for the murder; Ole Lundin was sentenced to two years as an accomplice.
• 1994 — Lundin was interviewed by Danish television with his face painted partially black and quoting a poem on the "light and dark sides of life"; Sten Levander awarded him 39 points (of a possible 40) on the Psychopathy Checklist.
• 1999 — Lundin was released and deported to Denmark.
• July 3, 2000 — Marianne Pedersen and her two sons were declared missing.
• July 5, 2000 — Police discovered blood traces in Pedersen's car and the basement of her house; Lundin was promptly arrested.
• July 27, 2000 — Several inmates in the Vridsløselille prison assaulted Peter Lundin.
• June 16–17, 2000 — Lundin admitted he killed Pedersen on the night between June 16–17, 2000, then killed her sons.
• October 10, 2000 — Lundin admitted to the murders in his changed statement.
• 2001 — A jury sentenced Lundin to life imprisonment for the Denmark murders.
• September 29, 2008 — It was reported that Lundin had again been married while incarcerated; the woman filed for divorce after 11 days.