Peter Lundin (1972-?)
Peter Lundin, also known as Bjarne Skounborg, is a Danish serial killer who committed murders in both his native country and the United States. He was born Peter Kenneth Bostrøm Lundin in Solrød Strand, Denmark on February 15, 1972 to Ole Bostrøm Lundin and Anna Schaftner. The family moved to the United States when Lundin was just 7 years old. In April 1991 Lundin strangled his mother to death in Maggie Valley, North Carolina. With the help of his father, he buried her body on a beach at Cape Hatteras – it was discovered 8 months later. In 1992 Lundin was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for the murder of his mother. His father, Ole Lundin, received a 2 year sentence as an accomplice. Whilst serving this sentence Lundin was interviewed by Danish television. He appeared with his face painted partially black and quoted a poem on the “light and dark sides of life”. Upon seeing this interview, renowned Swedish psychiatrist Professor Sten Levander awarded Lundin 39 points of a possible 40 on the Psychopathy Checklist. In 1999, Lundin was released from prison due to overcrowding and was deported to his native Denmark.
Following his return to Denmark, Lundin moved in with his wife but she kicked him out due to his violence towards her. He met Marianne Pedersen, a brothel worker. She and her 2 sons, who lived near Copenhagen, were reported missing on July 3, 2000, and Lundin initially said they had left to go on vacation and he had stayed behind to paint their house. Police discovered blood in Pedersen’s car and the basement of her house on July 5, 2000, and Lundin was arrested. Further examination of the house led police to the conclusion that Pedersen and her sons had been killed and dismembered. The lead detective on the investigation, Niels Kjøller, described the basement and garage of the house as resembling “slaughterhouses”, despite Lundin’s vigorous efforts to clean up the crime scene. Discovery of human tissue indicated that Lundin had used an angle grinder, and over 100 visible markings in the floors revealed that he had also used an axe. 3 weeks later, Lundin changed his statement. He now claimed he heard screaming on the night of the crime and found that Pedersen had killed her sons. He found her unconscious due to drugs and he fatally hit her – he then claimed to have dismembered the bodies. He said that he withheld this information because he was worried he wouldn’t be believed due to his criminal background. On October 10, 2000, Lundin changed his statement again, this time admitting to the murders. He admitted to killing Pedersen first because she had been “talking sweetly” to a man on the telephone, and then to killing her 2 sons. All 3 victims had their necks broken. In 2001, a jury sentenced Lundin to life imprisonment for the triple homicide of the Pedersens. Despite extensive searching, the bodies have never been recovered. Lundin’s father, Ole, was sentenced to 4 months in prison for stealing items belonging to Pedersen. Peter Lundin was judged to be sane.
