HAUGESUND DISTRICT (VG) Despite searches, wiretaps and surveillance, the police found nothing that could implicate Johny Vassbakk in the murder of Birgitte Tengs.
However, they arrested the 52-year-old last fall.
The reason was a DNA find on the pantyhose Birgitte Tengs was wearing on the night of the murderon the night of May 6, 1995.
The result was good for Vassbakk.
The Kripos cold case shooting group, known as Cold Case, had Vassbakk in its sights for some time.
The 52-year-old has been living a seemingly peaceful life together with his dogs in Haugalandet.
The police knew this very well, because in the period 2019 and until his arrest in September 2021, they had closely followed what he was doing.
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Vassbakk is now appearing before the Haugesund District Court, charged with the murder of Birgitte Tengs. He denies criminal guilt.
On Monday, it was Kripos chief investigator Dag Uppheim’s turn to testify. He first carried out the top-secret investigation into Vassbakk before his arrest in 2021.
Uppheim said he could not go into the points in detail, only summarize them broadly:
- On several occasions, police carried out covert searches of Vassbakk’s home and mobile home in 2019 and 2020. They also searched the childhood home where she lived in 1995, as well as her father’s beach house.
- Police periodically carried out searches and surveillance cameras of Vassbakk’s home to monitor his movements.
- Sometimes they also intercepted communications, including phone calls. In total, they went through 15-20 electronic storage devices (PCs, cell phones, dash-cams, memory chips, etc.).
He became suspicious
The intention was that the secret investigation would not be discovered, but Vassbakk became suspicious.
– We wanted to mirror his PC, but since everything was blocked, we probably had to go back to the address a few more times than would be desirable when it needs to be hidden, says Uppheim.
Last week, Vassbakk said in his court filing that he noticed someone had broken into his home in 2019. He himself thought it was the author and journalist Bjørn Olav Jahr.
Jahr wrote the book “Who Killed Birgitte Tengs?” and she worked on the documentary series ‘Who Killed Birgitte’. In these, Vassbakk is presented as a possible anonymous author.
No breakthrough
None of the police’s extensive surveillance tools have led to a breakthrough in the investigation.
Police found no Birgitte Tengs-related items in any of Vassbakk’s homes and never mentioned the case in the communications they monitored.
Police also conducted about 180 witness interviews with people they believe may have relevant information about Vassbak’s life and behavior in the period surrounding Teng’s murder.
I won’t answer about undercover agents
After the statement, Vassbakk’s defender Stian Kristensen asked if the police also used so-called “undercover agents” in surveillance of Vassbakk.
– Unfortunately, I cannot confirm or deny it, replies Uppheim.
– Why not, asks Kristensen.
– It is not covered by my duty to testify, replies Uppheim.
Kristensen tells VG it’s important to shed light on what methods police can use without going to court first.
– Why is it controversial that they used it?
– Because if they had found something, they would have presented it and used it (in court, ed). But when they find nothing, they choose not to talk about it. And that’s not good, says the defender.
Krimpodden explains what is at stake in the process:
