Last week he was accused of killing his wife (73) in June and of having tried to kill her in the same way in February 2023. She was then admitted to hospital, but survived. With the knowledge the police had at the time, there was no basis for investigating the case further. The husband said he wanted to help a friend die on 3 January last year, a month before the victim was admitted, the head of the foundation Erlik/Gatemagasinet Sorgenfri, Erlend Paxal, learned that a man had contacted people connected to the organization for help in obtaining tablets to contribute to suicide. Sorgenfri is a low-threshold offer for people who fall outside ordinary working life, and who struggle with drugs, mental health or poverty. Manager of the foundation Erlik/Gatemagasinet Sorgenfri, Erlend Paxal, thinks it is unfortunate that the tip he came up with was not checked further. Photo: Thomas Bergvoll Alstad / news Paxal told news: – The man said that he had a friend who was seriously ill and wanted to die. The man wanted to help the friend, but needed to buy drugs. Those in Sorgenfrimiljøet who were contacted refused to help because they wanted nothing to do with such things, Paxal told news. It is a criminal offense to assist in suicide in Norway. The defendant was remanded in custody on 6 July charged with murder. The man in his late 60s initially denied having anything to do with his wife’s death. Later he changed his explanation and said that his wife wanted to die because she was seriously ill due to Parkinson’s. She wanted him to help her, but that no one else had to know that she didn’t want to live anymore. Nor the children. He said that he came into contact with people in the drug scene in Trondheim from whom he bought tablets. The wife came to town, said the defendant. Immediately tip the police – heard nothing more – We take tips about complicity in suicide very seriously because we want to contribute to saving lives and health, says Paxal to news. He therefore called the police the same day to report what he had learned. – I also gave the mobile number and name of the person concerned, says Paxal. He does not have the name of the police officer he spoke to. – The conversation with the police lasted a maximum of five minutes, but I reckoned that the tip was in the best hands. But neither Paxal nor the colleague was contacted. State prosecutor Unni Sandøy did not know that the police had been tipped off about the defendant in January last year. Photo: Kari Sørbø / news Although it could be connected with the poisoning case Gradually more of the story became known through the media. On 17 August, Paxal read about the poisoning case online and realized that the defendant must be the same man who had contacted Sorgenfri in January. The next day, Paxal called the police again and told them what he knew. Later in the autumn, the police questioned both Paxal and two others who are connected to Sorgenfri. – When I told the hearing about the tip I gave in January, I got the impression that this was new for the police, says Paxal today. – Have you thought afterwards why your tip was not treated in a better way? – No, I don’t have the answer to that. But our employees have a relatively high threshold for calling the police about things they observe at work. When they do it, it is because they think it could be about life and health. – This was also the case this time. Then it is of course important that the tip is followed up, replies Paxal. – Very surprised that it was not logged. The police have not found the tip from Paxal on 3 January 2023 in their systems. – If the reporter has conveyed it to the police as he says, we are very surprised that it has not been logged with us. Police station chief Arve Nordtvedt tells news. – The police receive many messages and tips every day. There will always be a certain degree of discretion on the part of the person who accepts the tip as to whether it should be investigated further. – The tip came from Sorgenfrimiljoet. Are the tips from that considered less reliable? – No, I have no reason to believe that. It is the content of the tip that is essential, replies Nordtvedt. – Most probably would have started an investigation in February, if the tip had been logged. That’s according to station manager Arve Nordtvedt. Photo: Trond Odin Myhre Johansen / news It was the hospital that notified the police in February about the offended woman who had been admitted on suspicion of poisoning. If the tip had been logged in January, a register search could reveal the information about the husband who wanted to help a friend die. – Then it is most likely that we had already started an investigation in February, says Nordtvedt. The police will now go through the routines for how tips should be handled so that essential information is not lost. Poison mixture found in the body of the deceased The husband of the defendant eventually returned home from the hospital. On 29 June, the woman died. The autopsy showed that she had lethal amounts of morphine, alprazolam and clonazepam. According to the indictment, the victim ingested the drug through food or drink. Powdered remains of morphine were found in the home of the accused and the deceased. The accused denies criminal liability for murder and attempted murder, or for helping her kill herself. He does not know how his wife ingested the drug, according to defense counsel Kristina Jørgensen. The trial starts in Trøndelag District Court on 11 March. It has been seen in court for two weeks.
ttn-69
Tip the police about a murder suspect a month before the victim was admitted – news Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio
