At 09:30 the trial started, 27 years after the murder of Birgitte Tengs. The judge read out that the 52-year-old is charged “for having caused the death of another, and there are particularly aggravating circumstances”. When asked if he pleaded guilty, he answered clearly; – Not guilty. The defendant appeared in court with a clean-shaven head, wearing a gray hoodie and dark hiking trousers. ON THE WAY IN: Defense attorney Stian Kristensen says the client is prepared, but dreads the trial against him. The 52-year-old denies criminal guilt in the case. Photo: Gisle Jørgensen / news He was looked after by two defense attorneys inside the courtroom. On his way into the courtroom where the trial will take place for the next eight weeks, defense attorney Stian Kristensen said that his client is terrified. – He is well prepared, as well prepared as it is possible to be for what he faces. And then he dreads this day. At the same time, when things have turned out the way they have, he looks forward to getting started, says the defender to news. Important DNA discovery Public prosecutor Nina Grande says that the Tengs case is every parent’s nightmare, in that the 17-year-old was “suddenly and brutally torn away” from his family. – This case is every parent’s nightmare. There is a 17-year-old girl who was suddenly taken away from her family. The murder has a long and controversial history. It has left deep traces in the family, in the local community and for the person who was convicted first. DNA: The prosecution believes that a Y chromosome in a blood stain on Birgitte Tengs’ tights links the 52-year-old to the murder. Grande says the pantyhose Tengs was wearing on the night of the murder is the most important piece of evidence in the case. – The fact that a defendant’s DNA has been found cannot be explained without him being the perpetrator. There are no other realistic ways in which the trace sample can be deposited, Grande believes. The public prosecutor says that there has been a long investigation and that a long time has passed since the murder. She says that it will be difficult to answer all the questions in the case, but that they believe they can provide answers to the most important. – We don’t have answers to everything, but we believe we have answers to the questions that are legally relevant and the court can pass a judgement, she says. In October 2017, previous material in the case and new material were sent for DNA analysis in Austria. Two years later, the report came with the results, which gave a partial match to the now accused’s DNA. When these results came in, the police started an undercover investigation into the 52-year-old. Just before Christmas 2021, new results came. These showed that there is a mutation in the DNA trace from Tengs’ tights, and the accused has the same mutation. Neither his brothers nor father have it, and they are thus excluded from the case. Heavy load Courtroom 14 was full when the case started. Among those accompanying the district court are the parents of Birgitte Tengs. One of the family’s two assistance lawyers, John Christian Elden, says the next few weeks will be stressful for them. – It is a great burden for them to have to appear in court now after 27 years. It has brought the whole matter up again, it is clear that it is unwanted. At the same time, it is good that the matter may be clarified, says Elden to news. THE PARENTS: Karin and Torger Tengs, the parents of Birgitte Tengs, at the Haugaland district court. Photo: Marthe Synnøve Johannessen / news – They are having a great time, says Erik Lea, the family’s other legal aid lawyer. Secret investigation The 52-year-old from Karmøy was arrested and charged by the police in September last year. Prior to the arrest, the police had secretly investigated the man for his role in the murder. The 52-year-old was a familiar name to the police. Already shortly after the murder, he was in for questioning by the police. He was also considered a so-called mode candidate, but was never charged in the case. He has been convicted a number of times in the past, both before and after the murder of Birgitte Tengs in 1995. He has been convicted several times for stealing women’s clothes or shoes. He is also convicted of violence and milder sexual offences. Birgitte Tengs was found murdered on 6 May 1995. A 52-year-old man from Karmøy is now charged in the Tengs case, and the trial begins on Monday 7 November 2022.
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The Tengs defendant denies criminal guilt – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
