A 48-year-old father was beaten to death in front of his daughter outside Burger King in central Karlstad when he tried to protect his 18-year-old daughter from unwanted advances. Now, two young Swedish men from the Trollhättan area are being remanded on suspicion of manslaughter. One of the men has previously been convicted for a similar assault involving kicking a man who was lying on the ground.

Mattias, 48, was fatally assaulted outside Burger King on Östra Torggatan in central Karlstad on the night of Sunday, August 31 this year. He was taken to hospital but succumbed to his injuries.

The daughter, 18 years old, witnessed her father fall to the ground after the altercation. She has recounted that it started after one of the suspects made unwanted advances towards her, prompting her father to intervene.

Prosecutor Cecilia Aronsson is now requesting that Teo Ahlstrand, 19, and Sebastian Bergman, 20, be remanded on probable grounds suspected of manslaughter. In the alternative, they are suspected of aggravated assault and gross negligence causing death.

The prosecutor argues that there is a risk they could destroy evidence or otherwise hinder the investigation. For Bergman, there is also a stated risk of continued criminal activity. The remand hearings will be held on Wednesday at Värmland District Court. Both men are residents of Trollhättan municipality.

Incorrect information about nationality

There have been widespread, unverified reports online that the suspected perpetrators were of foreign background and that three men attacked the father after groping. This has now proven to be untrue. Both Bergman and Ahlstrand have Swedish citizenship, as do their parents.

Bergman has multiple previous convictions. In April 2025, he was fined for violating the knife law after carrying a knife in a public place, and later the same year he was convicted of assault.

Together with two other men, he allegedly kicked and punched a man who was lying on the ground. The sentence? A suspended sentence with community service. His accomplices were convicted of aggravated assault and sentenced to prison.

Ahlstrand was convicted in 2022 for driving without a license.

The prosecutor stated that the suspects did not have any prior connection to the victim.

READ MORE: Man beaten to death in central Karlstad – two men suspected of manslaughter