Mijailo Mijailovic was so impressed by Tom Cruise that he allegedly demanded the American film star assist his defence in court.
Mijailovic was convicted of attacking his father
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When Sweden's foreign minister Anna Lindh was killed, police initially thought they were dealing with a politically motivated crime linked to the controversial referendum on the euro - which was just days away.
That speculation has long since dried up.
The question which has subsequently been asked is why Mijailovic, who has a history of psychiatric problems, was not already being detained.
Drop-out
Mijailovic was born in Sweden in 1978 to Serbian emigres.
The family is believed to have come from the village of Przutiovac - his grandfather emigrated to Sweden in 1970 to work in a factory, although he has since returned.
The suspect spent a few years at school in Serbia before returning to Sweden, where he attended high school before dropping out.
His youth appears to have been marked by family disputes.
In 1997, he was convicted of assault for stabbing his father repeatedly in the back and behind the ear with a kitchen knife.
Mijailovic told the court he wanted to stop an argument between his parents, but could not recall the actual attack on his father, who survived.
He was subsequently sentenced to probation. A psychiatric evaluation in connection with the 1997 trial found Mijailovic "in great need of psychiatric and psychotherapeutic efforts".
Other court documents show that he has convictions for illegal gun possession and making threatening phone calls to two women.
Although the killing of Ms Lindh is not thought to have been politically motivated in the usual sense, Mijailovic is believed to have been obsessed by several famous people and allegedly hated the Swedish foreign minister for backing the Nato air strikes against Belgrade during the 1999 Kosovo war.
According to one psychiatric evaluation, Mijailovic said he was interested in "injustices in the world" but was unable to elaborate on these.
Psychiatric tests carried out after the end of the trial declared that Mr Mijailovic was sane at the time of the killing - despite his claim to have been directed by "voices in his head".
The decision prompted the court hearing the trial to impose the sentence that many in Sweden wanted: life in prison for murder.