Murder in a Pair of Stilettos

Chapter One: The Woman in the Blue Heel

It began, as so many tragedies do, with drinks and desire. The summer night was thick with heat in Houston, Texas, when Ana Trujillo, 44, slipped on a pair of navy blue stilettos — steel-tipped, sleek, almost weapon-like — and headed to a downtown bar with her boyfriend, Stefan Andersson.

Stefan, a 59-year-old biochemistry professor, originally from Gävle, Sweden, had built a solid career in the United States. After earning his PhD and relocating across the Atlantic in the 1990s, he rose to prominence as a respected academic at the University of Houston. Intelligent, mild-mannered, and introverted, Stefan was known to his colleagues as a brilliant mind with a gentle soul. But his private life was a mystery — until it ended in blood.

Ana was fifteen years younger and a stark contrast: magnetic, tempestuous, and, according to some, deeply troubled. She had a history of volatile behaviour, tangled relationships, and alcohol abuse. Her allure was undeniable — and dangerous.

That night in June 2013, Stefan and Ana’s evening out took a dark turn. After an argument with a taxi driver, Ana stormed back to Stefan’s luxury apartment in the Museum District. She was drunk, furious, and paranoid. At some point, their disagreement escalated. Ana would later claim it was self-defence. But what she did next shocked even seasoned investigators.

She removed one of her stilettos — a sharp, steel-reinforced heel — and brought it down on Stefan’s head again and again. By the time paramedics arrived, he had over 25 puncture wounds to the skull and face. His body lay twisted on the floor, surrounded by smears of blood, his shirt soaked through.

Ana called the police herself. Her voice, when the 911 tape was played back in court, was confused and high-pitched. “He’s hurt. He’s bleeding. I think... I did something terrible,” she reportedly said.

But the crime scene told its own story. One officer described it as "a pool of blood", while another said Stefan’s body looked “like he’d been trampled.” The heel — blue suede, designer — sat beside him, glistening with blood.

Chapter Two: Trial by Heel

The trial opened in April 2014 to a packed courtroom. Prosecutors painted Ana Trujillo not as a frightened woman defending herself, but as a manipulative and violent partner. Her defence team argued otherwise: Ana, they said, had been attacked and lashed out in panic.

But the forensic evidence was damning. With help from a pathologist, jurors were shown how the wounds lined up perfectly with the heel of her shoe. Experts testified that the pattern of injuries made it almost impossible to believe this was a spontaneous act of defence.

"This wasn’t a single blow," said lead prosecutor John Jordan. “This was rage. This was intention.”

The heel itself was displayed in court. Viewers later described it as “looking more like an ice pick than a shoe.” The media dubbed it the “stiletto murder.” It became the centrepiece of a case that blurred the line between love and brutality.

Witnesses — including friends of Stefan and Ana — testified about Ana’s jealousy, her unpredictable temper, and several prior incidents of physical aggression. One acquaintance told the court: “I don’t dare guess what’s going on in her head.” Another recalled a party where Ana had hit Stefan with a lamp in full view of guests.

Ana sat silently through most of the testimony, sometimes emotional, sometimes defiant. When she took the stand in her own defence, she claimed Stefan had attacked her. “I feared for my life,” she said. “I didn’t mean to kill him. I loved him.”

The jury didn’t believe her.

In April 2014, Ana Trujillo was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. She is not eligible for parole.

Aftermath:

The case remains one of the most bizarre and brutal crimes in Texas history. Not only for the weapon used — a stiletto shoe — but for the tragic mismatch between a quiet Swedish scientist and the woman who would take his life. Ana’s courtroom image — expressive, dark-haired, fists clenched in frustration — would be seared into the public imagination.

Stefan Andersson is remembered in Sweden as a gifted academic who brought knowledge and calm to those around him. His murder, shocking and senseless, is now a chilling reminder of how intimate violence often hides in plain sight.