Girlfriend Of Murdered APOSTASY Guitarist Claims She Acted In Self-Defense

Henrik Johansson (photo),28, guitarist in the Swedish black metal band APOSTASY (web site),was stabbed to death by his girlfriend early Thursday morning (March 9). At 3:55 a.m. the 19-year-old girlfriend (photo) called 911 and said that her boyfriend was lying bleeding on the floor in the couple's apartment in Kramfors, Sweden. When the paramedics and police arrived, Henrik Johansson was already dead (photo).

According to Expressen, the 19-year-old student has told police that she killed him.

"I've killed him with a knife," she said.

During the evening and night she became afraid of her boyfriend.

"I ran into the kitchen and got a knife," she said.

In the hallway a ruckus began and Henrik wanted her to let go of the knife.

"The he ran straight towards the knife," she said.

The knife pierced his heart area. During the arraignment she claimed that she acted in self-defense and the court has her taken into custody on the charge of manslaughter.

The couple met shortly before Christmas last year and most describe them as inseparable. However, lately there’s been turmoil. The neighbor Eva Nilsson said that she had to call the police in January.

"The girl was screaming so terribly. I know that he was trying to get her out of the apartment," Nilsson told Expressen.

When the police arrived that time, they both had cuts. She filed charges against him, but they were dropped. The girlfriend’s father knew about the incident, but believed that everything was fine now.

"I talked to her the other day and everything was normal," he said. "She felt great and was happy. My daughter has a temper, but she's never been aggressive. It cannot have been her intention for him to die. What has happened is awful."

APOSTASY frontman Fredric Edin cannot believe what has happened.

"They were at a party at my place last Saturday and everything seemed just fine. We've known each other for 15 years and Henrik has never been violent," Edin told Aftonbladet.

In a posting on the BLABBERMOUTH.NET comment boards, APOSTASY keyboardist Leif Högberg stated about the initial press/public response to the incident, "First of all, Henrik Johansson was not violent and did certainly not beat up his girlfriend. It makes me said to see people make judgments without knowing him at all. And second, to all of those who say that we — black metal fans — ask for it, no one in APOSTASY is an outspoken satanist [nor] do we hail death and torment. However, in all cases, don't judge a dead man. The wrong man died once again."

Check out Swedish media reports on the incident:

Aftonbladet
Expressen