– That night I was sick both in the brain and the heart. I could not control myself and only did what I was ordered to do, says the 32-year-old from the witness box.
On Tuesday, the murder case began in Søndre Østfold District Court. It has been almost ten months since the murder at Sarpsborg bus terminal on 14 July.
It was about 23.25 when the stranger approached Marianne Haugen, who was sitting in the car waiting for her daughter.
The Somali man has been found criminally insane and diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.
– DRAMATIC PHASE: During the first hour after the murder, police forensic technicians worked at the scene at the same time as people were asked to stay indoors in Sarpsborg. Photo: Thomas Evensen / TV 2
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He uses much of his explanation to tell about supernatural phenomena and forces that he believes are governing his life.
Voices in the head
In court, the 32-year-old says that on the day of the murder he had been with his sister. When he came home in the evening, the voices in his head completely took over.
He himself has no explanation for why he had a knife with him or why he visited the center of Sarpsborg. In interrogation the day after the murder, he nevertheless explained that he “only thought of killing”.
– Did you think about who you wanted to kill? asks prosecutor Andreas Strand.
– No no no. I lost consciousness and became a person out of control. I have never thought of hurting anyone, he says today.
– REMEMBER: The morning after the murder, flowers and candles had been laid where the car of Marianne Haugen (54) was parked. Photo: Berit Roald / NTB
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– Why did you go to Marianne and her car?
– Those who took over my head, wanted to kill everyone they saw. There was a lot of noise, and there were several people talking. Some said “do not kill!”, While others said “hurry up!”, He says.
– Was anything said between you?
– No, we did not say anything to each other.
– Did you know who Marianne was?
– No, there has never been contact between us, says the accused, who also believes he was not able to understand that the 13 stabs with a knife would be fatal.
Knivstakk to neighbors
After the murder, the man traveled straight to a neighborhood in Sarpsborg where he had previously lived. There he sought out a woman with whom he has explained in interrogation about a strained relationship.
A few years ago, the man was convicted of violence against the woman’s husband.
After knocking on the door, the 32-year-old went to the mother of four and stabbed her both in the stomach and hip.
Earlier Tuesday, she has explained about the dramatic experience which led to her being unconscious in hospital.
The man then traveled on to another former neighbor. In court, the neighbor, a woman in her 30s, has said that the defendant had previously been persistent and unpleasant towards her over time.
In court, the accused says that he has never had anything against either of the two women, but in interrogation he has told a completely different story.
Confronted with his previous interrogations, he says:
– I must have said a lot, but I do not remember it. These things were not something I had planned.
Grew up with war
The accused 32-year-old came to Norway from Somalia ten years ago and has expressed to the police that he regrets it. He has been unhappy for a long time and has been subjected to psychiatric treatment several times.
The man grew up in a war-torn area of Somalia where “a bullet was worth more than a human life”, according to his own explanation.
Both the prosecution and the man’s defender, lawyer Harald Otterstad, believe that he should be sentenced to compulsory mental health care.
When asked how he himself reacts to such an outcome, the defendant answered in court that “it is a good thing”.
Four days have been set aside for the trial in Søndre Østfold District Court.
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