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Why Did the Twins Run Into Traffic

February 14, 2026 / 37:54

This episode covers the Case File Archives re-release of the Ericson twins case, detailing the events surrounding Sabina and Ursula Ericson's bizarre behavior and tragic outcomes.

On May 17, 2008, police were called to the M6 motorway near Stoke on Trent after reports of a pedestrian being hit by a vehicle. Upon arrival, officers found the twins standing calmly on the shoulder, but the situation escalated when Ursula ran into traffic, followed by Sabina.

Both twins were struck by vehicles, resulting in severe injuries. Sabina displayed erratic behavior, including assaulting officers and claiming people were trying to steal her organs. Despite her actions, she was later released from the hospital and charged with trespassing and assault.

After being released, Sabina fatally stabbed Glenn Holland Head, a man who had offered her help. The episode discusses the aftermath, including the psychiatric evaluations and the legal proceedings that followed.

The episode concludes with reflections on the twins' mental health issues and the failures of the system in assessing Sabina's condition before her release.

TLDR

The episode recounts the tragic events involving the Ericson twins, leading to a fatal stabbing and questions about mental health assessments.

Episode

37:54
00:00:00
As we enter Case Files 10th year, we've created a new run of special bonus content. Case File Archives, a series of
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releases revisiting the earliest years of the show along with previously unreleased premium episodes.
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This is completely additional content and will not replace new episodes. We'll still be back on March 7 with brand new
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cases, and we'll be releasing the same number of new episodes this year as we did last year. Case File Archives is
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simply a way to mark the 10th year, revisit some older episodes, and to offer previously subscriber exclusive
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episodes to the wider audience for the first time. For the re-release episodes, we have fully edited, polished,
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re-recorded, and freshly produced them from start to finish to match our current production standards.
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They are not full rewrites. Our aim isn't to reshape the cases or alter the original storytelling, but to preserve
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them as they were first told while giving them the level of production they didn't have back in 2016.
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Where appropriate, updates have been added, but the core structure remains faithful to the originals. Because of
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this, these episodes may sound a little different to our recent work. Today's re-release is the Ericson twins, the
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17th case file episode ever produced. On May 17, 2008, police were called to the M6 motorway near Stoke on Trent
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after reports that a pedestrian had been hit by a vehicle. When officers arrived,
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two women stood calmly on the shoulder, uninjured, composed, and seemingly cooperative.
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But within minutes, the situation took a sudden and terrifying turn. Originally released on April 30, 2016,
00:01:56
this episode has been re-recorded and newly produced as part of Case File Archives.
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Our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents. If you feel at any time you need support, please
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contact your local crisis center. For suggested phone numbers, for confidential support, and for a more
00:02:29
detailed list of content warnings, please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website.
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On Saturday, May 17, 2008, motorway patrol officers Cope and Fin responded to a call that a pedestrian had been hit
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by a vehicle on the M6 motorway near the English city of Stoke on Trent. Expecting the worst, the two officers
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were surprised when they arrived at the scene to see two pedestrians standing calmly and uninjured on the shoulder of
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the motorway. It didn't look like much was going on at all. But within a few minutes, the seemingly calm situation
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took a frightening twist. Not a lot is known about the lives of twin sisters Sabina and Ursula Ericson.
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They were born in Vermland County in West Central Sweden on Friday, November 3, 1967.
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They had two older siblings, a sister and a brother. While they were at school, the twins were described by some
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as a little bit odd. They mostly kept to themselves and they sometimes had a tendency to be a bit violent, but there
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is no evidence that either Sabina or Ursula was ever treated for mental health issues.
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Following that, their years after school and into early adulthood are a bit of a
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mystery. By the year 2000, both women were in their early 30s and had left Sweden.
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Ursula relocated to the United States, while Sabina was living in Ireland with her partner and two children.
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It's believed that between 2000 and 2008, Sabina may have spent time in the US visiting her twin. Her son even moved
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in with Ursula for a period of time, though for what reason we do not know. In 2008, it was Ursula's turn to travel.
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The now 40-year-old Ursula flew to Ireland to stay with her twin sister. It's not known whether this was just a
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catchup visit or if there was a specific reason for it, but what we do know is that during Ursula's time in Ireland,
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the twins were absolutely inseparable. They had an extremely tight bond. Then suddenly at around 2:00 a.m. on
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Friday, May 16, Sabina and Ursula left island without telling anyone of their plans or intentions.
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The next time that the twins were seen was at 8:40 a.m. the following day, Saturday, May 17, in Liverpool, England.
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It's believed they had traveled from Ireland to England via ferry. They walked into Saint Anne Street
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Police Station near Liverpool's city center and Sabina told officers there that she was concerned about the safety
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of her children. Why Sabina and Ursula traveled to England to report this when Sabina's
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children and partner were back in Ireland is anyone's guess. Liverpool police contacted their Irish
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counterparts who performed a welfare check on Sabina's children and partner. Everything was okay.
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Sabina's partner told the Irish police that Sabina had taken off suddenly after they had a fight. Irish police said
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Sabina and Ursula could get in touch with them if they had any fears or concerns upon their return to Ireland.
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Sometime after leaving the police station in Liverpool, the twins got onto a National Express coach that was bound
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for London, boarding at about 11:30 a.m. The twins each carried a bag which they
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refused to store in the coach's luggage area. Instead, both women insisted on holding on to their respective bags
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throughout the journey. Just after 1:00 p.m., the coach stopped at Kill Services, a service station on
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the M6 motorway. It's unclear why the coach stopped there, as it wasn't a scheduled rest
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stop. While some reports state that this stop was due to a driver change, others
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suggest that the only reason the coach stopped was because Sabina and Ursula Ericson were behaving erratically.
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The twins disembarked, then had a discussion with the bus driver. Their behavior and refusal to store their
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luggage had made him suspicious. When the twins wouldn't let him search their bags, he refused to allow them
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back on the coach. The driver told the service station's employee, a woman named Melissa, that he
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wasn't letting the twins back on. He essentially handled the issue over to Melissa, asking her to keep an eye on
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the twins after he departed. Melissa watched the twins as they walked around the service station. They were
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holding their bags tightly against their chest as though terrified of letting go.
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The way they moved and spoke to one another made it seem like they were plotting something.
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Melissa soon grew suspicious of the twins as well, wondering if perhaps they were carrying some kind of bomb or
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explosive device in their bags. Concerned, Melissa phoned the police. Officers soon arrived at the scene and
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spoke to the twins, but found nothing untoward. They told Melissa that there were no
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issues and the two women were going to make their way to London. The police gave the twins a phone number
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for the coach company so they could arrange to catch the next bus. Although Sabina and Ursula had agreed to
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this plan, they soon left the service station before the next coach arrived. Instead of boarding a vehicle, they
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began walking along the M6 motorway. The M6 is covered by video cameras that are monitored by the highway agency's
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control center in Birmingham. At about 3:20 p.m., the twins were captured on these cameras walking along
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the motorway central reservation. Although there was a low metal barrier on either side of the central
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reservation, it was still a dangerous place to walk and not designed for pedestrians.
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A highway agency patrol unit was dispatched to move the twins off the motorway. Highway agency officers aren't police.
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Their role is to handle issues on England's motorways, ensure traffic is flowing freely, and address incidents
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that could put people at risk. If there is an accident, highway agency officers will sort out a traffic management plan,
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put in roadblocks, and coordinate diversions. They don't pull motorists over or issue
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speeding fines. When the twins saw the highway agency car, they jumped out of the central
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reservation and onto the motorway in front of oncoming traffic. Cars break hard and swerved to avoid
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running them over. Despite this swift response, one driver accidentally clipped Sabina and she was knocked over.
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Although onlookers feared that Sabina might have serious injuries, she seemed perfectly fine.
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She got up and she and Ursula made their way off the M6 onto the shoulder. Police
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and paramedics were immediately summoned to the scene. Police officers Cope and Fin responded
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to the call and it just so happened that they had a camera crew with them. The two officers were being followed
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that day by a small crew from the BBC television program motorway cops who were filming officers Cope and Finl as
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they went about their shift. When they arrived, the twins were still standing on the shoulder of the
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motorway. They were speaking with the two highway agency officers who were first at the
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scene. Everybody appeared calm and all seemed well. The paramedics hadn't arrived yet, but
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by the looks of things, they wouldn't be required. Nobody appeared injured, and the
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atmosphere was relaxed. Officers Cope and Finlen joined the others on the motorway shoulder and
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began speaking with one of the highway agency officers to find out what was going on. The twins were a short
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distance away, standing next to the other highway agency officer. While the highway agency officer was
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still briefing the police, this happened. >> Right. >> What we've got is they were in the
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central res. >> Why? You know >> exactly >> they speak English. >> Speak one speaks English. Yeah.
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>> There's one in the red. >> Yeah. >> We had a block coming up. >> Right. >> Cuz we knew they were on camera.
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>> A full closure. >> On camera. Full closure. North. >> Yeah. >> They were trying to cross the Bravo. So
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as we approached they did. They haven't seen us. >> The red one's got knocked down by the
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red car over there. I've got an ambulance on route for it. Seems all right, but >> I'm not a doctor. She has to be knocked
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down. >> Is she the one that speaks English on the other one? >> The other one. Oh no.
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>> My We need ambulance senior officers to the team. We've got two possible fatals.
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One moment the twins were standing together calmly and nothing seemed out of the ordinary at all. Then suddenly,
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for no apparent reason, Ursula lunged forward, stepping towards the motorway. Seeing what she was trying to do, the
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highway agency officer who was standing next to her tried to stop Ursula, but he
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only managed to grab hold of her jacket, which she easily slipped out of. She then ran straight out onto the road and
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directly into the side of a 40tonon truck. The truck ran straight over the top of
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her. Sabina then made her move, running out onto the motorway as well. She threw
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herself into the path of an oncoming car. She went straight over the front of the
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car, smashing into the windscreen, denting the bonnet and the roof before being flung up into the air, and then
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slamming hard onto the road. Both women lay motionless on the road, knocked unconscious by the impact, but
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still alive. The motorway was immediately shut down and police went to work trying to render
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aid while still waiting for the paramedics to arrive. >> Oscar Tanganger 33 on arrival. Both
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females have ran out into the carriageway. First female has been hit by HTV in lane two. Serious injury.
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Second female has been hit by a vehicle in lane one. Got two serious casualties.
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We're going to need air. Officer Fin Lace rushed to Ursula, who had been run over by the truck. She had
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massive leg injuries, suffering compound fractures. We're police. We're here to help. It's
00:14:22
okay. It's all right. >> You ever seen that before? >> Yeah. Haven't they? What the hell were
00:14:30
they running for? >> They're on something. It's okay. It's okay. No, stay still. Stay still. like
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she's got a compact fracture. What is it? Right leg. >> Ursula then started screaming that she
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wanted the police even though a police officer was kneeling next to her. She became quite aggressive and started
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spitting and clawing at officer Fin. >> Calm down [ __ ] >> Calm down. >> Mine's very aggressive spitting at me.
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She is very badly injured. I don't know what's going on. Calm down. >> No. Come on, my love. Come on. You've
00:15:07
hit your head. Calm down. We are the police. We are the police. Calm down. >> Yeah, the doctor's on route.
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>> You don't even need a doctor. >> It's okay. Calm down. She appears. >> [ __ ] make sure.
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>> Very disorientated. >> Paramedics arrived shortly after. They made their way first to Ursula and
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helped calm her down, bringing her under control. Meanwhile, Officer Cop was with
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Sabina, who was lying down calmly until suddenly. >> Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa,
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whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Stay, stay, stay. >> Have they got collar or something? They
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can stick on her. >> Work really. She needs >> Yeah. Whoa, whoa, whoa. >> Right. Don't get going anywhere. Okay.
00:15:53
Just chill. Chill. >> They're going to steal your organ. >> It's okay, my love. >> I'm trying to make sure you're okay.
00:16:00
Right. >> Where's Paul? >> Where's Paul? >> Where's Paul? Stay. >> Why do you feel me? Stay still.
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>> Why do you feel me? >> No. >> [ __ ] hell. >> No. No. >> After calling out, "They're going to
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steal your organs," Sabina stood up. Officer Cop tried to soothe her and make her lie back down.
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At this, Sabina started to pull away from Officer Cope before turning around and punching the officer in the face,
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knocking her to the ground. Sabina then jumped over the central reservation and ran onto the other side
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of the motorway where traffic was still moving. This time she was lucky not to be hit by
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a passing vehicle. Officer Finl gave chase. As drivers saw what was going on, they slowed down to a
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stop. Officer Finlac tried to grab hold of Sabina, who removed her jacket and started jumping up and down like she was
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shaping up for a fight. >> Stay there. Calm down. Calm down. Calm down. Calm down.
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>> Calm down. Calm down. >> Calm down. Calm down. >> Calm down. They're high. >> Calm down.
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>> We're police. >> Police. >> Police. >> Officer Cop along with other police who
00:17:40
had arrived on the scene and members of the public had to assist in bringing Sabina under control.
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It took six people in total with Sabina still resisting and putting up a fight. Her strength was later described as
00:17:55
inhuman. >> Guys, watch it. Legs down. Legs down. >> Get down. Get your hand up from behind.
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It's not this. >> Face down. >> That way towards you. >> Watch it. Face off it. Pull it. Police.
00:18:23
>> We are the police. >> Like her sister Ursula, Sabina started calling out for the police despite the
00:18:30
fact she was surrounded by officers. >> No, let's go. Why do you do this? Why do you do it?
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>> Why? >> I still love you. >> Why? >> Roll it forward. Swim. Oh, that >> [ __ ] you. [ __ ] you.
00:18:57
Sabina was finally restrained, but she continued to aggressively lash out, making it impossible for paramedics to
00:19:04
treat her. They eventually had to sedate Sabina in order to give her medical care.
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None of the first responders or bystanders could understand what was going on. The twins bizarre behavior was unlike
00:19:22
anything the police on scene had ever encountered before. They suspected Sabina and Ursula were
00:19:28
most likely under the influence of some kind of drug. It was also speculated that the twins dangerous actions could
00:19:36
have been the result of a suicide pact they'd made. A search of their bags found multiple
00:19:42
mobile phones and one of the twins passports, but no ID at all for the other. Both twins were transported to
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hospital. Ursula was in critical condition, but Sabina had suffered only minor injuries.
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Due to Ursula's severe condition, doctors took her blood for testing. It was negative for drugs and alcohol,
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nor were any drugs found on her person, in her bag, or in Sabina's belongings. Sabina's blood wasn't tested as she'd
00:20:16
only suffered minor injuries and wasn't facing serious criminal charges. It was presumed, however, that if Ursula
00:20:24
hadn't taken anything, then Sabina wouldn't have either. Sabina didn't undergo a full psychiatric
00:20:31
evaluation, but was seen by a police doctor, a psych doctor, and a social worker. All three found there was
00:20:39
nothing wrong with her. Once she was given a clean bill of health, Sabina was discharged from hospital just 5 hours
00:20:47
after the incident on the M6. Once she was released from hospital, police took her into their custody. The
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screaming person who had thrown herself in front of traffic and fought with officers was long gone. Sabina was now
00:21:04
completely relaxed. She was so compliant that the police didn't even bother to handcuff her for
00:21:10
the drive to the station in Stoke on Trent, a city in the county of Staffordshire.
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Sabina sat quietly in the backseat of the car, calm and completely unrestrained.
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At the police station, Sabina laughed and joked around with the officers as they began processing her.
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The officers asked Sabina a series of questions as part of her processing, including questions about her history
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and health. When they asked if Sabina had ever tried to harm herself before, she said she hadn't.
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Sabina had no previous criminal record. At no time during her questioning did she ask how her sister was.
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Police charged Sabina with trespassing on a motorway and assaulting a police officer.
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She was kept in custody and appeared at the Fenton Magistrate's Court 2 days later on Monday, May 19th, 2008.
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Sabina pleaded guilty to both charges. She was sentenced to one day in custody, which she had already served, and was
00:22:19
released. During her time in custody, Sabina seemed very calm and casual about the
00:22:26
situation she now found herself in. It was almost as though nothing had happened.
00:22:32
Though at one point during her processing, she made a remark that would seem ominous in retrospect.
00:22:40
We say always in Sweden that an accident rarely comes alone. Usually at least one
00:22:46
more follows, perhaps two. That evening, 54year-old Glenn Holland Head was walking home with his friend
00:22:58
Peter Mallaloy and Glenn's dog. The two men had just been to their local pub for
00:23:04
a few beers and were strolling along Christurch Street in the town of Fenton, which is part of Stoke on Trent and just
00:23:11
around the corner from the magistrate's court. As they walked, the two friends noticed Sabina Ericson standing on the
00:23:19
other side of the road. The woman stood out like a sore thumb, appearing stressed and worried.
00:23:26
She was carrying her possessions in a plastic bag and looked lost. Sabina called out to the two men, saying
00:23:34
that Glenn's dog looked nice. In response, Glenn and Peter crossed the road and struck up a conversation with
00:23:42
Sabina. The trio chatted for a little while. Sabina told the men that her sister was
00:23:49
in hospital and she was trying to find her. She also said that she needed to find a bed and breakfast where she could
00:23:56
stay. Glenn explained that there were really no hotels or B&Bs in the area, but offered to have her over at his home.
00:24:05
He could make her something to eat and try to help her locate her sister before organizing proper accommodation.
00:24:13
This offer was in keeping with Glenn's character. Friends and loved ones described him as a warm and friendly
00:24:20
person who liked to help out people in need. Sabina accepted Glenn's offer and her
00:24:27
mood appeared to improve. All three walked back to Glenn's house where they sat down and had a few drinks
00:24:34
together. But whenever Glenn and Peter asked about Sabina's sister, her demeanor changed.
00:24:42
She would either change the subject or turn awkwardly silent. Sabina also started to display some
00:24:49
strange behavior. In the middle of their conversation, she would suddenly stand up, walk over to
00:24:55
the window, pull the shades up, and stare up and down the street before snapping the shades back and sitting
00:25:02
back down. She did this a few times as though she was paranoid that somebody was watching.
00:25:09
Then she took out her cigarettes and asked Glenn and Peter if they wanted one. Both accepted. As they were about
00:25:18
to light up, Sabina quickly snatched the cigarettes from them and said, "They might be poisoned. You can't have them."
00:25:26
She did this even though she had been smoking from this particular packet of cigarettes all night.
00:25:33
Peter was starting to feel very uneasy. He could tell something wasn't quite right with Sabina.
00:25:41
Glenn, on the other hand, seemed relaxed, comfortable, and entirely unconcerned.
00:25:47
He kept telling Peter not to worry, reassuring him that Sabina was just a bit quirky and her behavior was nothing
00:25:54
to be concerned about. Peter wasn't reassured and couldn't wait to leave. He soon made an escape and
00:26:02
headed home, leaving Sabina and Glenn by themselves. Perhaps what was most intriguing is that
00:26:10
despite being run over by a car, flung up into the air, and slamming onto the road just 2 days prior, Sabina wasn't
00:26:18
complaining of any pain at all. She seemed to be completely unaffected. At around lunchtime the next day, Glenn
00:26:28
rang his brother Paul, who worked at the local hospital, to see if he knew anything about Ursula.
00:26:35
Glenn was his usual cheerful self throughout the call. Occasionally, Paul could hear Sabina's voice in the
00:26:42
background. Glenn explained what had happened and said they were just after any available
00:26:48
information on Ursula's status. At about 7:40 p.m. that evening, Glenn walked outside and asked a neighbor,
00:26:56
Frank, if he had any spare tea bags. Frank was washing his vehicle and told Glenn that when he finished up, he would
00:27:04
go inside and grab some. Glenn thanked him and went back into his house. But just one minute later, Glenn
00:27:14
staggered back outside. He was bleeding and had four separate stab wounds, including one to the heart. "I've been
00:27:22
stabbed," she stabbed me, Clen called out. He then collapsed to the ground. Frank immediately dialed emergency
00:27:32
services. Glenn asked Frank to look after his dog before passing away. Meanwhile, Sabina left Glenn's house and
00:27:42
ran up the street carrying a hammer. She repeatedly hit herself over the head with the hammer as she ran.
00:27:50
This caught the attention of a passing motorist named Joshua, who saw what she was doing and noticed her hair was
00:27:57
matted with blood. There was also blood over the front of Sabina's jacket. Joshua got out of his car and tried to
00:28:06
wrestle the hammer from Sabina. She struggled with him and appeared to be in a rage.
00:28:12
Sabina got the better of Joshua by hitting him in the back of the head with a broken piece of roof tile that she
00:28:17
took from her pocket. She then ran away. Joshua saw two paramedic vehicles driving after her in response to Frank's
00:28:27
call for help. Sabina kept running, trying to get away from the paramedics. She ran to a bridge
00:28:35
at Heron Cross above the A50 roadway. Sabina climbed the railing and jumped straight off onto the road below.
00:28:46
The fall was about 30 ft, which is roughly 10 m. She broke both of her ankles and
00:28:53
fractured her skull, but she survived. Sabina was transported to hospital for treatment.
00:29:04
Meanwhile, police examined the crime scene at Glenn's house. It looked as though Glenn had been in
00:29:11
the process of preparing a meal when he was stabbed. Sabina's DNA profile was found on the kitchen knife used to stab
00:29:19
Glenn. The blood stained jacket she had been wearing at the time she jumped off the bridge tested positive for Glenn
00:29:26
Holland's Head's DNA. Sabina remained in hospital for almost 4 months and was discharged in a
00:29:34
wheelchair on Thursday, September 11. Upon her release from hospital, she was charged with the murder of Glenn
00:29:41
Holland's Head and taken into police custody. Ursula was also discharged from hospital
00:29:48
in September. but she wasn't charged with any offenses and returned to Sweden. Sabina refused to answer any questions
00:29:58
at all. Her reply to anything asked of her was no comment. So, we have no idea exactly what
00:30:07
happened in Glenn's house that day or even the night before after his friend Peter left.
00:30:15
Sabina initially pleaded not guilty to murder and a trial date was set for February 2009.
00:30:22
It was postponed due to issues obtaining Sabina's medical records. The trial was rescheduled for September.
00:30:32
Prior to her trial, Sabina was assessed by two forensic psychiatrists, one acting for the defense and the other for
00:30:39
the prosecution. both reached the same conclusion. At the time that Sabina Erikson killed a
00:30:47
Glenn Holland head, she was mentally ill. However, the psychiatrists had different
00:30:54
opinions as to what her mental illness was. The defense diagnosed Sabina with induced delusional disorder, a rare
00:31:03
condition where similar delusional beliefs are shared by two or more people who have a close relationship to one
00:31:10
another. In Sabina's case, the condition would relate to her relationship with her twin
00:31:15
sister, Ursula. After her sister ran out onto the motorway into the path of a truck, Sabina followed her.
00:31:24
The prosecution diagnosed Sabina with acute polymorphic psychotic disorder, a type of acute transient psychosis
00:31:32
characterized by rapidly shifting psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations and paranoia.
00:31:39
The prosecution hypothesized that Sabina had abruptly become psychotic for a short period before her symptoms
00:31:46
disappeared. Both of these proposed diagnosis were rare conditions. Video of the incident on the motorway
00:31:55
was used in making each diagnosis, and the footage was later played in court as well.
00:32:02
Glenn's family wanted to know why Sabina was released from hospital so quickly and allowed to go free after the
00:32:08
motorway incident if she was suffering from what was now determined to be a psychotic episode.
00:32:15
Prior to Sabina's release from hospital after the motorway incident, she was seen by a police surgeon, a consultant
00:32:21
psychiatrist, and a social worker. And all three found that Sabina displayed no obvious signs of any mental or
00:32:29
psychological illness before concluding she was fit to be released. As the footage from the M6 incident
00:32:38
wasn't available when Sabina was admitted to hospital, these three individuals didn't have the benefit of
00:32:43
seeing it. However, they would have received a detailed firstirhand account from the officers present at the scene.
00:32:53
A couple of explanations have been thrown out there. If Sabina was in fact suffering from acute polymorphic
00:32:59
psychotic disorder, then her symptoms could have come and gone quickly and may have been momentarily absent while she
00:33:06
was reviewed in hospital. Another theory is that the sedation she was given on the motorway could have had
00:33:13
a calming effect on her at the time she was assessed. But one can't help but think the system
00:33:20
failed. When you see that footage and find out three separate medical professionals ruled there was no sign of
00:33:27
mental or psychological illness, you're left scratching your head. Although the psychiatrists hired by the
00:33:34
prosecution and the defense found that Sabina Erikson had been experiencing a mental illness when she stabbed Glenn
00:33:40
Holland's head, neither of them assessed her twin sister, Ursula. Maybe if Ursula had also been assessed,
00:33:48
some more light may have been shed on what was going on. The findings of the two psychiatrists
00:33:57
led to Sabina pleading guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter with diminished responsibility.
00:34:03
Although the judge had difficulty determining which diagnosis was the correct one, he accepted that Sabina had
00:34:10
suffered from a rare and temporary form of insanity, and her plea was accepted. As Sabena had since made a full recovery
00:34:19
from her mental illness, she couldn't be detained at a secure mental health hospital.
00:34:24
Neither the prosecution nor the defense believed she posed a danger to the public, prompting the judge to sentence
00:34:31
her to 5 years in prison. Because she had already spent 439 days in custody prior to sentencing, she
00:34:40
would be eligible for parole in 2011. In delivering this sentence, the judge stated,
00:34:49
"I understand that this sentence will seem entirely inadequate to the relatives of the deceased. However, I
00:34:56
have sentenced on the basis that the reason for the killing was the mental illness and therefore the culpability of
00:35:03
the defendant was low and therefore the sentence I have passed is designed to protect the public. It is not designed
00:35:11
to reflect the grief the relatives have suffered or to measure the value of Mr. Holland's Head's life. No sentence that
00:35:19
I could pass could do that. It is a sentence which I hope fairly measures a truly tragic event.
00:35:29
Glenn Hollandad's family considered Sabena's diagnosis to be a convenient explanation. a quick and easy way to
00:35:37
deal with an event that was so bizarre, nobody really had any idea what was going on.
00:35:43
Glenn's brother, Gary, has spoken out against the way the case was handled, stating that he doesn't blame Sabina for
00:35:50
her actions, but he does hold the justice system responsible for their part. He has also paid tribute to his
00:35:57
brother's kind and generous nature. Quote, "Her mental condition should have been properly assessed after what she
00:36:06
did on the motorway and the experiences the police had. Her mental disorder should have been picked up prior to her
00:36:13
being led out into the community." Glenn saw her in distress and was just trying to help. He wasn't slow in coming
00:36:22
forward to help somebody in distress. It was in his nature. He was trying to help. He would help anybody. If he saw a
00:36:32
fight in the street and a guy was losing, he would help. During the court process, Sabina
00:36:39
maintained her silence. She didn't utter a single word about the murder of Glenn Holland's Head or the M6
00:36:47
incident. No one knows what the twins were even doing in England in the first place.
00:36:54
They have never given a reason. Like her sister Ursula, Sabina returned to Sweden after completing her sentence.
00:37:04
Just as not much is known about Sabina's personal history prior to these tragic events, very little is known about her
00:37:12
life after release.

Badges

This episode stands out for the following:

  • 90
    Most chaotic
  • 90
    Biggest twist
  • 85
    Most shocking
  • 85
    Most unpredictable

Episode Highlights

  • Case File Archives Launch
    Celebrating 10 years with special bonus content and re-releases of classic episodes.
    “This is completely additional content and will not replace new episodes.”
    @ 00m 17s
    February 14, 2026
  • The Ericson Twins Incident
    A calm situation escalates into chaos as the twins make dangerous choices on the motorway.
    “One moment the twins were standing together calmly... then suddenly, for no apparent reason...”
    @ 12m 32s
    February 14, 2026
  • Ominous Words
    Sabina's remark during processing hints at future tragedy.
    “We say always in Sweden that an accident rarely comes alone.”
    @ 22m 36s
    February 14, 2026
  • A Disturbing Turn
    Sabina's behavior escalates as she warns Glenn and Peter about poisoned cigarettes.
    “They might be poisoned. You can't have them.”
    @ 25m 23s
    February 14, 2026
  • Tragic Attack
    Glenn is fatally stabbed by Sabina, leading to a chaotic scene.
    “I've been stabbed, she stabbed me!”
    @ 27m 22s
    February 14, 2026
  • Mental Illness Defense
    Sabina's trial reveals conflicting diagnoses of her mental state during the incident.
    @ 30m 45s
    February 14, 2026
  • Inadequate Sentencing
    The judge acknowledges the inadequacy of the sentence given the tragedy.
    “It is a sentence which I hope fairly measures a truly tragic event.”
    @ 35m 11s
    February 14, 2026

Episode Quotes

  • Our aim isn't to reshape the cases or alter the original storytelling.
    Why Did the Twins Run Into Traffic
  • One moment the twins were standing together calmly... then suddenly, for no apparent reason...
    Why Did the Twins Run Into Traffic
  • We say always in Sweden that an accident rarely comes alone.
    Why Did the Twins Run Into Traffic
  • They might be poisoned. You can't have them.
    Why Did the Twins Run Into Traffic
  • I've been stabbed, she stabbed me!
    Why Did the Twins Run Into Traffic
  • Her mental condition should have been properly assessed.
    Why Did the Twins Run Into Traffic

Key Moments

  • New Content00:03
  • Calm Before the Storm12:32
  • Ominous Remark22:36
  • Sabina's Acceptance24:25
  • Strange Behavior24:47
  • Glenn's Last Words27:22
  • Trial Delays30:22
  • Guilty Plea33:54

Words per Minute Over Time

Vibes Breakdown