The particularly gruesome murder of a 58-year-old man by his 24-year-old stepson got underway in Lillehammer this week and is mostly aimed at deciding what kind of punishment the younger man will get. He’s already admitted that he stabbed his stepfather to death, sliced up the body and then tried to burn it in the hills near the Hafjell ski center north of Lillehammer last summer.
Kim Andreas Kristiansen, who was the subject of an international manhunt after the murder, has also admitted threatening to kill a friend unless he got help disposing of the body. Kristiansen turned himself in to police after fleeing to the Netherlands after the murder.
“The trial to a large degree involves determining his sentence,” Kristiansen’s own defense attorney told news bureau NTB. The defendant has been ruled sane and he explained his actions in court on Thursday, painting a picture of his stepfather as a violent alcoholic who had plagued him most of his life.
“He complained about everything and nothing I did was good enough,” Kristiansen testified. On the night of the murder, he said his stepfather, with whom he lived, met him at the door yelling and swearing but then they shared a bottle of whisky. Kristiansen then confronted his stepfather with what he called his “mental and physical abuse” and was laughed off. That sent Kristiansen into a rage and he found a kitchen knife and stabbed the older man several times, cutting up his body after he’d died.
Kristiansen also admitted to having been treated earlier for aggression. His trial was due to run through April 17.
newsinenglish.no staff
