‘Ruthless murder with an honour motive’: Chilling details behind death of 20-year-old pregnant woman Saga Elneborg

Chilling text messages have revealed disturbing details behind the “ruthless” killing of a 20-year-old pregnant woman allegedly at the hands of her Somali boyfriend.

A young pregnant woman was strangled to death in her own home by her boyfriend who feared what his religious family would think of her, police allege.

Sweden has been rocked by the alleged murder of 20-year-old expectant mother Saga Forsgren Elneborg, who was found dead in her hometown of Örebro, a city 200km west of Stockholm.

Her 22-year-old boyfriend, Mohamedamin Abdirisek Ibrahim, is accused of committing the murder as an honour killing to avoid the shame associated with introducing his pregnant girlfriend to his Muslim family.

Ms Forsgren had shared multiple photos and updates about her baby bump with her loved ones in the months before her tragic death.

Her grieving family had described her excitement about moving to a new apartment and starting her life as a mother.

It took more than a year for Ibrahim to be charged with Ms Forsgren’s murder.

However, he has not been charged for the murder of their unborn child.

Ibrahim had concealed his relationship with Ms Forsgren from his mother, adhering to cultural expectations that he should date within his own culture, it is alleged.

“She was so happy. She would move to a new apartment and start her life as a mother. This is the worst thing imaginable,” Ms Forsgren’s mother said.

“Saga was 20 years old and longed to be a mother to her boy who was waiting in her belly... In brutal and completely inhuman ways, someone [...] took your everything from you, they took your life and the life of your little boy,” another relative wrote on social media.

Chilling text messages have revealed disturbing details behind the alleged “ruthless” killing of a 20-year-old pregnant woman at the hands of her Somali boyfriend.

Saga had shared multiple photos and updates about her baby bump with her loved ones in the months before her tragic death.

Saga had been repeatedly sharing photos in preparation for her newborn.

The police investigation produced a 1,000-page arrest report, including evidence of a cable from a bedside lamp allegedly used as a murder weapon and crime scene photos showing where Ms Forsgren’s body was discovered.

Prosecutor Elisabeth Anderson said the murder was executed in an “honour context”, intending to preserve familial honour by eliminating Ms Forsgren, who was pregnant with Ibrahim’s child.

“Mohamedamin Abdirisek Ibrahim has killed Saga Forsgren Elneborg by suffocating and strangling her by means of pressure on her neck with an impact on the trachea and the blood supply to the head,” she said.

“I mean that the murder took place in an honour context because the man wanted to preserve or restore his and his family’s honor by killing the woman who was carrying his child.”

The prosecutor also claimed that Ibrahim’s DNA was found under Ms Forsgren’s fingernails.

Text message exchanges on the night of the alleged murder reveal Ibrahim had promised to tell his family about their relationship and baby.

“Feels like I can almost feel my heartbeat all the way down to my stomach,” Ibrahim texted.

Hours later Ms Forsgren would be dead.

Prosecutor Elisabeth Anderson said the alleged murder was executed in an ‘honour context,’ intending to preserve familial honour by eliminating Ms Forsgren, who was pregnant with Ibrahim’s child.

Text message exchanges on the night of the murder reveal Ibrahim had promised to tell his family about their relationship and baby.

There’s no evidence implicating Ibrahim’s family in the alleged murder or suggesting they influenced his actions.

Ibrahim had allegedly urged Ms Forsgren to consider an abortion in the months before her murder. She chose to keep the baby.

Despite his alleged insistence on an abortion, Ibrahim continued the relationship and made plans for their future, all while secretly believing that having the baby would dishonour his family.

The family’s lawyer, Elisabeth Massi Fritz, described the alleged murder as a “ruthless” act with several aggravating circumstances that will be revealed in the trial.

“It has been and still is a difficult time for all [of] Saga’s relative,” Ms Fritz said.

“The murder of Saga is a cruel and ruthless murder with an honour motive. There are many aggravating circumstances in the deed which we will highlight during the trial.”

Ibrahim is due to face court for the murder on April 10.

He denies any wrongdoing and told police in an interrogation that he loved Ms Forsgren and was still in disbelief over her death.

“I have been in denial for nine months now,” he said.