A 23-year-old man confessed at the opening of his case in Reykjanes District Court yesterday morning to having murdered his girlfriend in his home in Hafnarfjörður in February 2012. However, he rejected her family’s claim for damages.
From Hafnarfjörður. Archive photo by Páll Stefánsson.
The defendant declared the claim to be “insignificant” and “disgusting”, Morgunblaðið reports.
He is accused of having attacked the victim with a knife, repeatedly stabbed her in the face and cut her throat, which led to her death.
It was debated whether the case should be open to the public.
Jóhanna Sigurjónsdóttir, the legal representative of the victim’s family, reasoned that the family, especially the victim’s nine-year-old son, should be spared media coverage of the case, considering its brutality.
Prosecutor Helgi Magnús Gunnarsson objected, stating that regardless of how “bloody” and “morbid” the case is, there is no reason to spare the defendant by keeping the media out of the courtroom.
The judge took time to reconsider but then decided that the court proceedings should be open. Jóhanna appealed the decision to the Supreme Court which will have the final say.
Either way, the principal proceedings will take place on June 22.
Click here to read more about this case.
ESA
