It is a DNA discovery on Birgitte Tengs’ pantyhose that is the most important piece of evidence in the case. A mutation in the male Y-chromosome that was found on the pantyhose led several DNA experts in court to conclude that the material must have come from the defendant, the 52-year-old from Karmøy. But the big question the judges in Haugaland and Sunnhordland District Court have to decide is whether the defendant’s DNA got on the pantyhose before, during or after the murder. – That assessment is the key. If the court concludes that the DNA got there during the act of murder, the mode he has from previous criminal cases will come into play quite strongly, says author and journalist Bjørn Olav Jahr. Jahr has written a book and made a TV series about the murder, and followed the trial against the defendant in Haugesund courthouse in November and December last year. Author and journalist Bjørn Olav Jahr believes that how the DNA evidence is assessed by the court is the key to whether there will be a conviction or not. Photo: Robert Rønning / Robert Rønning / news During the main hearing it emerged that the defendant has several serious and sexualized episodes of violence behind him. In court, the defendant explained that “the brain failed”. Ever since he was arrested by the police in the autumn of 2021, the 52-year-old has denied being behind the murder of Birgitte Tengs, which took place on Gamle Sundvegen in Karmøy on the night of 6 May 1995. However, the prosecution wants to sentence him to 17 years in prison. Open wound The murder of Birgitte Tengs on 6 May 1995 created an open wound in the local community on Karmøy. Birgitte Tengs’ cousin was first convicted in the district court in 1997, and then acquitted in the court of appeal for the murder in 1998. He was nevertheless sentenced to pay compensation to Birgitte Tengs’ parents, and this has for all these years split both the family and society in two . Only just before the trial started in the autumn was the compensation judgment against the cousin lifted. Retired news journalist Harald Dale lives in Kopervik, where the murder took place. He hopes the verdict gives both the next of kin and the local community a final answer. – I hope that the verdict will bring the case to an end. It is almost 30 years since the murder, and it is time to put an end to it in a sensible way, says Dale. Retired news journalist Harald Dale hopes the local community can settle down with a well-founded verdict. Photo: Gisle Jørgensen / news Bjørn Olav Jahr believes it is extra important that the verdict against the Karmøy man who is now on trial is well-founded, regardless of the outcome. – It is important that the judgment is clear, well argued and explained, no matter which answer you end up with, says Jahr. New trial in the autumn? Even if there is a verdict on Monday at 10 o’clock, there is a high probability that the case will be appealed, regardless of whether the defendant is found guilty or not. – The defendant is fighting to be believed. If he is innocent, he is fighting the fight of his life, says Jahr. The 52-year-old defendant denies criminal guilt, but when the trial ended in December, the prosecution submitted a request for 17 years in prison. Photo: Hege Vatnaland At the same time, it was the Attorney General who ordered prosecution, and the investigation into the case was resumed in 2016 on the advice of Kripos’ Cold Case Group. – For the police and prosecuting authority, there is quite a lot of prestige in the case. If you end up with a conviction, you will have repaired some of what went wrong in the case earlier. In any case, the most important thing is that the case is resolved correctly, and that it is not the prestige that decides the case, but the evidence, says Jahr. If the case is appealed, it will come up before the Gulating Court of Appeal on Monday 4 September 2023. – If it ends with a conviction for the defendant both now in the district court and later in the court of appeal, you want a judgment that has authority over the local community, says Dale.
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Karmøy hopes for a final answer – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
