5 chilling details about the 2004 double murder depicted in Netflix's The Breakthrough

Netflix added a four-part scripted true crime docuseries to its library titled The Breakthrough on January 7. This four-part docuseries is about the 2004 double murder in Åsgatan, Linköping that took 16 years to crack.

In 2020, the case was ultimately solved with the aid of DNA genealogy and a very committed detective named John Sudin, who made the case his top priority since day one.

Netflix's synopsis for the show reads as:

"When a shocking double homicide goes unsolved for 16 years, a detective teams up with a genealogist to catch the killer before it becomes a cold case."

Here are five terrifying details to be aware of if you have previously seen this series.

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5 chilling details about the double murders on Netflix's The Breakthrough

1) Adnan Abbas and Gunilla Pairson were stabbed to death

As shown in The Breakthrough on Netflix, both the victims, Adnan Abbas (8) and Gunilla Pairson (56) were stabbed to death on the open road in a neighborhood. The killer used a butterfly knife to stab both the victims.

Adnan Abbas died suddenly despite the first responders' best efforts to save him. Gunilla Pairson, who had tried to shield the boy from getting stabbed was then stabbed by the perpetrator. Pairson died after being taken to the hospital.

According to the detectives, the murderer chose his victims at random and had mental health problems, extreme anxiety, and a pent-up desire to kill.

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2) The lone witness suffered from trauma

As revealed in The Breakthrough, a woman named Karin played a crucial role in the investigation since she saw the murderer in person and observed both crimes. But, as the series depicts, she was afflicted with remorse and guilt, which prevented her from recalling the victim's face.

She was eventually able to recall the murderer's face, thanks to hypnosis, and a sketch of the suspected murderer was created. But it was of no help to the inquiry and investigation.

In the series, when the sole witness Karin is hypnotized, she describes witnessing the double murders as:

"I get out of the saddle and start walking forward …I follow the scream and then I see them. The back of the man pounding his arm deep into the stomach of this poor woman again and again. No. No. No ….I was gonna help …why didn’t I. ”

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3) The murderer gave a quick and cold confession

As revealed in The Breakthrough on Netflix, with the help of genetic genealogy when the killer, David Nilsson, was caught for the murder of Adnan Abbas and Gunilla Pairson and brought into interrogation, he did not hesitate to confess to the crimes. He admitted to both killings, as was disclosed on the show, and he also admitted that he had voices in his brain telling him to kill.

David says in The Breakthrough that:

"Well, I did it (brief pause). I murdered them. I only required two of them people. Well, you must kill two of them people to find peace in your head." (pointing to his inner voices while placing two fingers on his forehead)

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4) The killer suffered from extreme loneliness

The killer suffered from loneliness [Image by Sean Boyd/Unsplash)

According to episode four of The Breakthrough, David, the murderer, was a recluse who, over the previous two years, only made six personal phone calls and sent two or three texts, all of which were addressed to his brother. The killer's parents had both died, and he had kept his life within a few kilometers almost like "he doesn’t exist" as revealed on the show.

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5) The murderer was connected to Stina, the journalist

As revealed in The Breakthrough on Netflix, when the case was on the brink of getting transferred to the cold case unit and John and his team had two days to crack the case, Francy (the police officer who was part of the investigation) sent the last few oral swabs to be added to the database.

One of the swabs contained the DNA of Stina (the journalist) who wanted to interview John and Per(the genealogist). When Stina’s profile was added to the database and she was linked to the two men in the records, it was easy to narrow the search for the possible killer.

After this, Per with his final analysis and brainstorming concluded that either David or Stefan Nilsson (Stina’s cousins) was the likely killer. David fit the killer's profile and was eventually convicted of the murder of Adnan Abbas and Gunilla Pairson.

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The Breakthrough is now playing on Netflix.