The unsolved murder of a 20-year-old Stavanger woman in 2000 was once again making headlines in Norway on Thursday, after police announced Thursday morning that they’d arrested a 36-year-old man from Vest-Agder and charged him in the case. On Thursday afternoon, three more men arrested and charged as well.
Police said the first suspect was arrested after tips from the public. The second suspect “had been encouraged to turn himself in to police in Kristiansand,” said Herdis Traa, prosecutor for the Rogaland Police District in Stavanger, and he did. By the end of the day, two more men had been arrested as well, and they reportedly all are acquainted with one another. Three are 36 years old and the fourth 38, and they all live in Vest-Agder.
Police were reluctant to reveal many details about the sudden and surprise arrests in the unsolved murder of Tina Jørgensen, who was last seen in downtown Stavanger late on the night of Saturday September 23, 2000. She was reported missing, was the subject of a massive search and local police had, at one point, 20 investigators working on the case.
Her body was found just over a month later, when police, searching for a gun used in a robbery, opened a manhole cover in a parking lot near Bore Church, around 30 kilometers outside Stavanger. Instead, Jørgensen’s body was found stuffed inside.
That set off a major murder investigation that involved 1,700 sessions of questioning and attracted more than 1,300 tips. Her boyfriend was charged in the case but police evidence was determined to be insufficient and the case was dropped in 2002, although tips continued to come in. Jørgensen’s now 34-year-old boyfriend, who was held in custody for two months, demanded a million kroner in compensation and received NOK 188,500. He was also called in on Thursday for questioning by police after they’d made new arrests and reopened the investigation.
newsinenglish.no staff
