Swedish Murder in North Carolina Reveals Dark Link to Unsolved Prime Minister Assassination
The seemingly peaceful towns of Salisbury and Deep Gap, North Carolina—nestled near the Appalachian Mountains—were shaken in the early 1990s by two shocking murders: that of an elderly local woman and a Swedish man seeking a new life in America. What began as separate cases would ultimately reveal a disturbing tale of jealousy, violence, and international intrigue that touched one of the most infamous unsolved crimes in modern European history—the assassination of Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme.
A Body Found in the Snow
On the icy morning of January 7, 1994, a land surveyor for the North Carolina Department of Transportation spotted something unsettling in the snow near Deep Gap, about 100 miles north of Charlotte: a pair of bare feet protruding from a thin blanket of snow. The discovery quickly turned grim as Detective Sergeant Paula May of the Watauga County Sheriff’s Office later described.
“It was clear the body had been there for some time, exposed to the elements,” May told Buried in the Backyard. The victim, stripped naked except for a distinctive cygnet ring and a watch, bore two fatal gunshot wounds—one to the left temple, the other to the right side of the neck—both fired from a .22-caliber weapon.
The man was identified as 40-year-old Victor Gunnarsson, a Swedish polyglot and self-described “globe trotter” who had relocated to the U.S. in 1993. According to his friend Daniel Johansson, Gunnarsson had been eager to pursue the American Dream.
“He was so friendly and open; he never saw people as strangers—only friends he hadn’t met yet,” Johansson recalled.
A Budding Romance and Sudden Disappearance
In late November 1993, Gunnarsson met Kay Weden, a high school English teacher and single mother living in Salisbury. The attraction was immediate and mutual. “Victor was the best-looking man I’d ever seen,” Weden said. “He was charismatic, kind, and completely different from anyone I knew.”
The couple spent a brief but intense time together, even after Johansson returned to Sweden in early December. On December 3, 1993, Gunnarsson joined Weden and her 77-year-old mother, Catherine Miller, for dinner—an occasion Weden remembered fondly.
Plans for a Christmas tree outing never came to pass, however, as Gunnarsson mysteriously disappeared shortly afterward. A few days later, Weden found his apartment door ajar, despite the frigid weather—an ominous sign she couldn’t yet interpret. Meanwhile, Gunnarsson’s friends and family in Sweden grew increasingly alarmed.
A Mother’s Brutal Murder
While investigators pursued leads on Gunnarsson’s disappearance, tragedy struck closer to home. On the evening of December 8, 1993, Catherine Miller was found dead in her kitchen, propped against the refrigerator and soaked in blood. She had been shot twice in the head with a .38-caliber firearm.
Miller’s home showed signs of a staged robbery—overturned tables and ransacked drawers—but her valuables, including jewelry and firearms, remained untouched.
“This was a defenseless 77-year-old woman,” said Assistant Special Agent Don Gale from North Carolina’s State Bureau of Investigation. “Whoever did this was filled with evil.”
Weden was devastated and initially unaware of the connection to Gunnarsson’s disappearance. Threatening phone calls and graffiti targeting her son Jason Weden fueled fears and added complexity to the case, but Jason and Kay’s alibis checked out, eliminating them as suspects.
The Ex-Fiancé and Jealousy Motive
Investigators soon focused on Lamont Claxton “LC” Underwood, Kay Weden’s ex-fiancé and a veteran Salisbury police officer. Underwood had a history of possessiveness and violence, with three ex-wives describing him as controlling and prone to abuse. Weden ended their engagement in 1992, citing his jealousy and mistrust.
On the night Gunnarsson vanished, Underwood claimed to be on a date. Yet witnesses reported seeing him drive past the Weden residence and note Gunnarsson’s car’s license plate. Further scrutiny revealed that Underwood had used a convenience store clerk, Rex Keller, to make threatening phone calls to the Weden family—attempts to intimidate and mislead investigators.
Forensic Breakthrough and Trial
Initial investigations found little physical evidence tying Underwood to the murders. However, a forensic reexamination of his vehicle in 1995 discovered hair belonging to Gunnarsson in the trunk, bolstering the prosecution’s case.
Underwood was charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping for Gunnarsson’s death, and although suspected in Miller’s murder, was never formally charged in that case.
During the 1997 trial, prosecutors argued that Underwood kidnapped Gunnarsson, executed him, and staged Miller’s crime scene to appear as a robbery, motivated by jealousy and rage. They painted Underwood as a man unable to accept the breakup and obsessed with controlling Weden.
The jury found Underwood guilty, sentencing him to life in prison plus 40 years for kidnapping. He served 21 years before dying behind bars in 2018.
The Shadow of Olof Palme’s Assassination
Despite Gunnarsson’s murder being solved, one haunting question remains: What was his connection to the assassination of Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme in 1986? Gunnarsson had been a suspect early on, known for his intense dislike of Palme and possession of anti-Palme literature. Although later cleared by an alibi, his prior involvement in such a high-profile investigation added a layer of international mystery to his murder in America.
The Palme assassination remains unsolved, often described as Sweden’s equivalent of the Kennedy assassination—an open wound in the nation’s history.
Conclusion
The murders of Victor Gunnarsson and Catherine Miller expose a chilling intersection of personal vendettas, international intrigue, and cold-blooded violence in a quiet corner of North Carolina. This case reminds us that even in the most tranquil places, darkness can lurk beneath the surface—and that the past, no matter how distant, can echo in the most unexpected ways.
