The west coast community of Os, outside Bergen, was severely shaken early this year by the rape and murder of a 98-year-old woman on New Year’s Day. The teenaged local suspect went on trial this week, and he claims he doesn’t remember a thing.
Police arrested the now-19-year-old suspect the month after the body of Hilda Feste was found in the apartment where she lived in a seniors’ complex in Os. Prosecutors said in court on Wednesday that Feste’s apartment showed no signs of a struggle but her battered body, found in her own bedroom, indicated she was the victim of extreme violence.
“There was no fight, this is a case of violence against a helpless person,” Audun Kolstad, an investigator for national crime unit Kripos, testified in court.
The forensic pathologist who conducted Feste’s autopsy was among those reacting to the degree of violence, after noting that her death was caused by several severe blows to the head. She was also raped. “We have seen quite a bit,” Inge Morild testified, referring to murder cases over the years, “but these injuries were extensive.”
Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) reported that the murder defendant followed the court proceedings with interest but so far has appeared unmoved by the evidence presented and the case against him. He has denied guilt and said he’d been partying that night, with no recollection of his movements. His trial is expected to run for seven days.
newsinenglish.no staff
