HAUGESUND (Dagbladet): At first the plan was for him to explain himself. But when the time had come, both the question of giving a free explanation and answering questions was flatly rejected.
The 21-year-old who is charged with the murder of Kjetil André Østhus (28) on New Year’s Eve just over a year ago, has so far remained silent in courtroom 14 in Haugesund. When asked if he pleads guilty, the answer was no.
That was also the only thing he wanted to tell. Thus, prosecutor Birgitte Budal Løvlund chose to initiate the playback of all interrogations and conversations that have been recorded by the police since the arrest of the British man.
– He lived a wonderful life
– Brings back bad memories
The recordings have so far given a complex picture of both a difficult upbringing, medical history with several diagnoses and medication with a number of both prescription and narcotic drugs. The police’s theory has since the beginning been that it was a disagreement about fireworks that triggered the murder of Østhus.
The first recording, made only shortly after the murder and shortly after the arrest on the night of January 1, 2022, points in the direction of a strained relationship with both loud noises and fireworks.
– Fireworks bring back bad memories, says the 21-year-old already in the first meeting with the police.
In a later interview, he says the following:
– I don’t like loud noises because I have a diagnosis. I was very wet and uncomfortable on New Year’s Eve, not relaxed at all.
– Stayed in all evening
In court it emerged that the British man had arrived in Norway on 29 December, two days before the murder took place. After being picked up in Bergen by a friend he had met online, they drove to Haugesund. His friend had rented an apartment there.
On New Year’s Eve they had been out shopping for dinner and alcohol. According to the defendant’s statement in questioning, the rest of the day was spent watching TV series and cooking. When he later went to the petrol station to buy cigarettes, he was arrested by the police.
He himself has claimed not to remember anything of the murder. In the second conversation with the police, which took place at the emergency room and was also recorded, he apparently remembers nothing of the incident. Only a few hours have passed since the murder took place.
– Murder? On whom? I have been inside all evening, says the 21-year-old in the conversation.
The man’s defender, lawyer Ola Strømmen, is currently careful not to comment on his client’s memory and picture of the illness. In the indictment, it appears that a request may be made for a transfer to compulsory mental health care. At the same time, reservations have been made that both prison sentences and detention may be applicable.
– He didn’t want to say anything today, and why it turned out that way didn’t necessarily make much sense. I have spoken to him about whether it will change tomorrow, but we have not made a final decision about it yet, says Strømmen to Dagbladet.
– He loved life
– Total stranger
The defender emphasizes once again that the defendant’s mental health is and will be central to the outcome of the trial. According to Strømmen, the fact that a lack of memory has already been highlighted shortly after the murder will not give a complete picture until the remaining interviews have been reviewed on Tuesday.
– At the emergency room, he acts uncomprehending about a murder. But the overall picture is currently lacking, and more will come out from the experts, among other things, without me reproducing what will come out later in the main hearing, says Strømmen.
Prosecutor Løvlund already came in his introductory presentation on Monday with several specific technical findings, which were made in the apartment where the 21-year-old lived with his friend. Among them a knife and several items of clothing where DNA was found from both the accused and the murdered Østhus – despite the fact that they had never met each other before the fatal minutes in Haugesund on New Year’s Eve a year ago.
– The defendant has consistently denied having anything to do with the incident. The prosecution believes that the defendant left his apartment at about the same time as Kjetil André Østhus and the others he was with. He then carried two visible knives in his hands, and reacted aggressively towards the group when he became aware of the fireworks. He then stabbed Østhus in the chest with a knife, before leaving the scene immediately, Løvlund said in court.
