Psychiatric evaluation of the man accused of having murdered Hannes Thór Helgason in his home in Hafnarfjördur on August 15 concludes that he is non compos mentis. The suspect confessed to the murder in Reykjanes District Court on Friday.
From Hafnarfjördur. Photo by Páll Kjartansson.
Many of the victim’s relatives attended the trial and listened to the prosecutor reading the charge where it says that the suspect is accused of having killed Helgason by stabbing him repeatedly in the chest, back, neck, face, arms and hands, visir.is reports.
“The knife penetrated the heart, a lung and a kidney, among other organs,” the charge says. The prosecutor demands that the perpetrator be given a prison sentence or, if that is not possible, be sentenced to security confinement in a suitable institution.
The judge will determine whether the accused was compos mentis. His attorney, Gudrún Sesselja Arnardóttir, proposed that the trial be closed for the protection of the accused and his family, at least while he and the psychiatrists give their statements. Her request is being processed.
The victim’s parents are demanding emotional damages of ISK 5 million (USD 44,000, EUR 32,000), in addition to compensation of ISK 1.3 million to cover the cost of the funeral. The accused admitted to the parents’ right to compensation but objected to the amount.
The victim’s fiancé, who found the body, also demanded emotional damages of ISK 2.5 million (USD 22,000, EUR 16,000). The accused objected to her right to damages.
On Friday, the custody sentence of the accused was extended to December 17.
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