A Swedish court Monday sentenced an Ethiopian asylum seeker to psychiatric care after he fatally stabbed a young Lebanese-Swedish woman working at a youth refugee center in January, AFP reported.
Youssaf Khalif Nuur had been charged with murder, but a district court found him guilty of involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault.
"Youssaf Nuur, through his heedless behavior, caused Alexandra Mezher's death. He is therefore guilty of involuntary manslaughter," the district court wrote.
A psychiatric examination found Nuur was mentally unstable, meaning he may not have been aware that his actions would cause the woman's death. Nuur told the court he had no memory of what happened.
Alexandra Mezher, a 22-year-old of Lebanese origin, was stabbed as she tried to break up a fight in the youth center.
Following psychiatric care, Nuur was ordered deported from Sweden and banned from re-entering the country for ten years.
It has also been difficult to determine Nuur's exact age without any official documents available. Nuur told the court he was 15, but after examining bone x-rays and dental records, the court sided with the prosecution's argument that he was at least 18.
A family for the Mezher family said the family was "disappointed" by the verdict, saying they had hoped for a murder conviction. They plan to appeal the ruling.
Mezher's death sparked outrage and violence in Sweden, particularly at overcrowded reception centers for asylum seekers.
Sweden took in more than 160,000 refugees and migrants in 2015, placing it among the EU states with the highest population of refugees per capita.
Sweden has since tightened its asylum rules, curbing the influx of refugees significantly.
