Death by Stiletto- The Murder of Dr. Stefan Andersson
For this case I watched an episode of Snapped. It’s season 15 episode 5.
A biochemist and professor is found dead in his apartment.
Background
Dr. Stefan Andersson was born on May 11, 1954. He moved to Dallas, Texas from Sweden in the 1980s. He began his career working as a pharmaceutical researcher, and then moved to Houston, to begin his career as a biochemistry professor at the University of Houston in 2009.
Dr. Andersson was described as brilliant, and as a gentleman.
Dr. Stefan Andersson
Ana Trujillo
In 2013, Stefan met Ana Trujillo in passing at the high rise apartment building he was living in. At the time, Ana was living with another man, but he asked her out for a drink. She said yes, and they went out the night they met.
Ana grew up in Waco, in a strict and religious household of Jehovah’s Witnesses. After high school, Ana got married at the age of 19. She had two children with her first husband, but they got divorced in 1999.
In 2001, Ana moved to Houston, and got remarried. This marriage also didn’t last, and they divorced just a few years later. Her children stayed with their step-father, and Ana was excited to live the single life again.
Ana liked to go out and drink, and she caught the attention of several men. She was described as a drifter, and would meet men that she’d stay with, until she moved onto the next one.
Ana Trujillo
The 911 Call
When Ana and Stefan met, things seemed to be going really well. They enjoyed going out to bars and restaurants together. Some of Stefan’s friends thought the relationship was odd, due to their age difference and educational background. However, it didn’t bother them.
They were together just a few months, until Ana called the police in the early morning hours of June 9, 2013.
Ana was hysterical. She said that her boyfriend had attacked her, and she had defended herself. She said Stefan was bleeding, and about to die. She begged for someone to come and save him.
The Crime Scene
The police arrived just a few minutes later, but it was too late. Stefan was pronounced dead.
The crime scene was described as being one from a horror movie. Stefan was lying on his back in the hallway of the apartment. He was unrecognizable, and there was blood everywhere.
Due to the trauma to Stefan’s face, they believed he had been shot. They asked Ana where the gun was, but Ana told them that she had used her blue suede 5-inch stiletto heel. The heel was soaked in blood, and had hair wrapped around the heel.
Ana was escorted out of the building, and taken into the police station for questioning.
Murder or Self-Defense?
The police asked Ana about her relationship with Stefan. She said it started out great, but that he turned to alcohol because he was lonely. Ana said Stefan’s family lived in Sweden, his friends in Dallas, and that she became his everything.
Ana said that Stefan became a different person when he drank. He was mentally abusive, and that she wanted to leave. She left for a short time, and went to Mexico, but Stefan begged her to come back.'
Stefan went to get help for his addiction, and stopped drinking. Ana said that Stefan asked her to marry him, and she said yes. They went out to celebrate at a local bar called Bar 5015, and were having a nice time. Stefan was drinking though, and Ana said the fight began when they got home.
Ana said Stefan accused her of flirting with other men. She tried to leave, but Stefan was standing between her and the door. He grabbed her, and they both fell to ground. Ana said she felt like she was suffocating, and she grabbed her heel to defend herself.
Ana was held in a holding cell, while the police investigated the self-defense claim. They also collected her clothing for testing.
The Stiletto Murderer
Once Ana was photographed, the police realized she didn’t have a single scratch or bruise on her. They determined that Ana killed Stefan, and that it wasn’t self-defense.
Stefan had been hit in the face 25 times. He had visible puncture marks on his head, forearms and palms, which proved he had held up his arms to protect his face.
The blood spatter on the walls was low to the ground, suggesting that Stefan was on his back when he was hit.
This was also confirmed when Ana’s clothing was examined. She had blood on the crotch of her jeans, and on the inner thighs. The evidence suggested that Ana had been straddling Stefan as she struck him.
The police spoke to Stefan’s friends about their relationship. They said yes, Stefan did drink, but he wasn’t the mean one, Ana was. They said Stefan had never been abusive or violent to anyone. They also denied that Stefan and Ana were engaged, in fact there was proof that Stefan ended the relationship.
The manager at the apartment complex spoke to Stefan sometime in January-February 2013 because other tenants had complained about Ana’s behavior. Stefan revoked Ana’s guest privileges, and changed the locks on his door. He was the one who sent her to Mexico as well, but Ana didn’t accept the fact that it was over.
Ana knew the restaurants and bars that Stefan frequented. She had shown up at Bar 5015 on the night of June 8, 2013. Stefan was kind to everyone, and he was cordial to her. They then left the bar together, and Stefan lost his life.
Less than 24 hours after Stefan’s death, Ana was charged with his murder.
Trial and Conviction
On March 31, 2014, Ana’s trial began. There was a lot of media attention because of Ana’s choice of weapon.
The prosecution said Ana was a mean drunk. They said she was set off somehow on the night of the murder. They said Ana shoved Stefan down, straddled him and struck him 25 times with her heel.
A Houston cabdriver named Rosemary Gomez was called to testify. She said Stefan called a cab around 1:30am. Ana didn't want to leave, but Stefan was somehow able to drag her away from her drink. Rosemary said Ana was belligerent, and swore at her during the drive to Stefan’s apartment.
Rosemary said Ana continued swearing at her and Stefan after she got out of the cab. Rosemary said she asked Stefan if she could take him somewhere else, and that she was afraid for him. He told her no, he’d be fine.
Ana’s defense was that Stefan was an alcoholic, and that his BAC (blood alcohol content) was over the legal limit. They painted Ana was an innocent victim who had to defend herself.
On April 8, 2014, Ana was found guilty of murder. Two days later, Ana spoke for 7 hours about her life and the abuse she had gone through. She even acted out what happened that night, with her defense attorney assisting her.
She was sentenced to life in prison, and will be eligible for parole in 2043.
Ana Trujillo acting out the murder or self-defense as she claims.
FINAL THOUGHTS
It seems pretty unlikely that Stefan was ever abusive to Ana, but that Ana was the abuser. She dragged Stefan’s name through the mud to anyone who would listen to her. No one believed her, except for her defense, but that’s their job to listen to their clients. Ana was the aggressor that night, and now she will have to sit in prison thinking about everything she’s done.
Sources
https://uh.edu/nsm/cnrcs/news-events/stories/2013/061713anderssonobituary.php
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/127692671/alf-stefan-andersson
https://murderpedia.org/female.T/t/trujillo-ana.htm
https://abcnews.go.com/US/ana-trujillo-guilty-houstons-stiletto-murder/story?id=23244580
