John Ausonius, the man known to many as the Laser Man, is petitioning to have a time limit put on his life sentence, according to reports in Sweden’s The Local.
Ausonius was convicted in 1995 for the murder of one immigrant and the attempted murder of ten others as well as for eight bank robberies committed in the early 1990s. He was known for attacking his lawyer while the court was in session during his initial trial and for stabbing a guard while attempting to escape from prison.
On Wednesday last week, Ausonius appeared in front of the Örebro District Court. During the hearing he told the court that he regretted his crimes and that his attitudes have changed and that he no longer hates immigrants.
Kristian Agneklev, who is a vice prosecutor for the case and opposes Ausonius’s petition, admits that the life sentence is somewhat unusual in Swedish legal practice.
Despite his grey hair and calm demeanour, the 54-year old man who presented himself to the court last week is still considered a “medium-high” risk for committing further violent crimes.
Ausonius is serving his sentence at the Kumla correctional facility where he has been well behaved for the last eight years. He has participated in classes to help control anger and been exposed to many immigrants.
“I’m sitting in a section of Kumla where everyone has a life sentence, and half of the inmates are immigrants. I’ve really had my eyes opened that people deserve respect wherever they come from. And I have been very well received myself by people who really had a reason to hate me,” said Ausonius.
John Ausonius got his Laser Man nickname because e started off using a laser-guided rifle, but subsequently changed to a revolver. He was arrested in June 1992.