A 53-year-old murder case in Oslo won’t be re-opened, despite the repeated pleas from its main defendant that he was wrongly convicted.
Fredrik Fasting Torgersen was 23 years old when he was convicted of the murder of 16-year-old Rigmor Johnsen. He was sentenced to life in prison in 1958 but was released in 1974 after serving 16 years.
He has always claimed his innocence and applied once again in 2007 for his case to be re-opened because of alleged errors in an earlier re-examination. Fasting Torgersen has also alleged that the state prosecutor made incorrect statements and that evidence was manipulated.
The commission charged with reviewing such cases, Gjenopptakelseskommisjon, announced in late last week, though, that there was no foundation to re-open the case and turned down Fasting Torgersen’s request.
Views and News staff
