Young Eritrean man in court for killing his girlfriend at an asylum center

Asylum reception center in SunndalAsylum reception center in Sunndal.Photo: Torstein Bøe / NTB scanpix

A 19 year old Eritrean man is accused of having killed his 17 year old girlfriend at a reception center in Sunndal in 2015. The trial begins in Nordmøre district court on Monday.

The 17-year-old Eritrean girl was stabbed, and died of her injuries on the evening of the 19th November, 2015. The murder happened at Sunndal asylum reception center, where the girl lived.

The defendant, who was 18 years old at the time of the alleged crime, ran from the scene after the stabbing. He didn’t live at the reception center, but was arrested not long afterward, and during the first police interview he admitted to the killing.

Early on, the 19-year-old told police that the deceased girl was his girlfriend, but that he had no idea how the murder had occurred.

‘So far he has not admitted guilt. He says he does not remember what happened, but acknowledges that it was probably him who killed her’, said District Attorney, Ingvild Thorn Nordheim.

‘The indictment is for murder, and from the prosecution’s side, we are going to press that the defendant be punished for murder’, said Nordheim.

NTB news agency reported that the 19-year-old’s defence lawyer, Jørgen Riple, will plead that his client is guilty when the case starts, but he
believes that it was not intentional.

‘We will therefore argue for a length of sentence sanction’, said Riple.

The 17-year-old girl was stabbed 36 times with a knife on different different parts of the body and died of her injuries shortly afterwards.

Originally, five days were set aside for the case at the District Court in Kristiansund, but it is now clear that the case is set to take place between Monday and Wednesday. Twelve witnesses will testify in the witness box. In addition, evidence will be heard from two forensic psychiatric experts,and two pathologists.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today