The 23-year-old Norwegian man suspected of murdering his stepfather and then burning his body in a forest near the Hafjell ski resort 10 days ago has turned himself in to police in Rotterdam , reports the Lillehammer newspaper Byavisa. Police confirmed that he’s now in custody in The Netherlands.
Kim Andreas Kristiansen, from Øyer in the valley of Gudbrandsdalen, has been the target of an international manhunt since the body of his stepfather, Bjarte Hansen, was found on August 14. Police described the murder as particularly brutal and issued warrants for his arrest while also going to the unusual step of identifying him and warning the public that he was dangerous.
Per Solberg, operations leader for the police in Gudbrandalen, confirmed to Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) that Kristiansen reported to police in Rotterdam on Monday.
Norwegian police have also arrested another man on charges of being an accomplice in the murder case. He remains in custody in Lillehammer, but police had been frustrated in their search for Kristiansen. The last confirmed trace of him was information that he was still in the Lillehammer area on the day after the murder, but then he vanished.
Police suspected he’d left the country but issued several public announcements after Hansen’s body was found, urging Kristiansen to turn himself in.
Hansen’s body was found smoldering in a fire that had been set near a popular trail that leads to the Hafjell skiing area. Police had received a call from someone who saw smoke, and the grisly discovery was made in the middle of the day on Thursday August 14. The murder wasn’t publicly reported, however, until Friday August 15.
Kristiansen had been living with his stepfather but the two reportedly had a troubled relationship. His family had also issued appeals for him to turn himself in.
newsinenglish.no/Nina Berglund
