On Monday, the trial begins against the 20-year-old perpetrator who is accused of having killed 20-year-old Sofie Vo Nguyen.
He is also accused of raping her either before or after her death.
It was Saturday 26 September last year that Nguyen stayed found dead in an apartment in Eidsvåg, just over a mile outside Bergen city center. Only months in advance, Nguyen had moved to Bergen to study at NHH.
She rented an apartment with a man of the same age, who, like her, had also moved from Eastern Norway to study. The two were not lovers.
Lying lifeless
That Saturday, the neighbors were notified, as Nguyen’s parents could not reach her.
When the landlord and neighbors finally entered the apartment, they found Nguyen dead in his own bed.
The man she lived with lay lifeless in another room. The police identified him early as the perpetrator, and this summer he was charged with both murder and ill-treatment of the body.
– INVESTIGATION: The police were quickly on the scene to conduct investigations at the address in Eidsvåg, after the murder in September last year. Photo: Tor Henning Flaatten / TV 2
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Refuses to mutilate
According to the indictment, the police believe that the perpetrator, who has now turned 20, must have had sexual intercourse with the victim either before or after her death. It is an indictment the 20-year-old does not recognize at all.
– This indictment has come up in retrospect, and was not what this case was really about. It was not part of the original charge, but came up when the indictment was presented, says his defender Erik Johan Mjelde, and emphasizes:
– My client does not admit criminal guilt for point two of the indictment, neither rape nor mutilation. He is completely incomprehensible and terrified of this, says his defender Erik Johan Mjelde to TV 2.
Acknowledges the act of murder
As for the murder itself, the perpetrator pleads guilty. He also does this for the charge that he has left animals in a helpless state.
– EXPLANATION: The perpetrator’s lawyer, Erik Johan Mjelde, says his client is fully committed to explaining himself in court. Photo: Ivar Lid Riise / TV 2.
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The man is also said to have put her cat in a washing machine, and left it there until it lost its life.
According to Mjelde, his client is fully prepared to explain himself about the murder when the trial starts on Monday.
– He has acknowledged that he is the one who did it, and he is of course very sorry.
Know each other
It has previously been known that there is a relationship between the accused and the deceased, and also between the families of the two.
Mjelde can not say anything about the 20-year-old’s motive for the murder, but that he will give an explanation in court, which also deals with the relationship between them and what may have led up to the murder.
– It has of course been very difficult for him to take in what he has done, and not least the feeling towards the bereaved, the relatives and his own family, Mjelde says.
– BARRIERS: Both the perpetrator and the deceased must have had a relationship, and the accused will explain more about this during the trial. Photo: Tor Henning Flaatten / TV 2
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– Very serious matter
State Attorney Silje Alsaker Solheim will lead the case before the prosecution authorities.
She registers that the 20-year-old denies the charge of indictment.
– I take note of that, she says.
– How aggravating is the charge of desecration, set against the murder itself?
– It is a clearly aggravating circumstance. This in itself constitutes a criminal act, and we believe we can provide evidence that he has had sexual intercourse with the deceased, says Solheim.
She also says that the prosecution has an opinion on the perpetrator’s motive, but that she does not want to comment on it before the trial starts.
– This is a very serious matter. This is evident from the indictment, says Solheim.
– ASSISTANCE LAWYER: Einar Råen represents the family of the late Sofie Vo Nguyen. He says the family is prepared for what comes in the trial. Photo: Chris Ronald Hermansen / TV 2.
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– The family takes it hard
Einar Råen is an assistance lawyer for the family of the late Sofie. He tells TV 2 that the family is characterized by grief and loss, and that it is still difficult for them to understand that she should pass away in such a dramatic way.
– The family will for a long time carry with them the loss of a daughter, sister and friend, says Råen.
The family looks forward to hearing the defendant’s explanation, and hopes it is possible to get a conclusion on the case in this court round.
– Do they have any thoughts that the perpetrator denies the charge of desecration?
– It is of course an additional burden to know that the deceased must have been subjected to this type of action. I just want to say that this is something the family takes very seriously, and that they look forward to being able to shed light on what has happened in its entirety.
Seven days have been set aside for the trial in Hordaland District Court.
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