Trial
On April 23, 2001 the trial against Andersen and Kristiansen began. Kristiansen pleaded not guilty to the charge of two counts of premeditated murder and rape. Andersen pleaded guilty to one count of rape and one count of 2nd-degree murder. In addition, and unrelated to the case Kristiansen was stood accused of rape and indecent assault against a girl under the age of 10, indecent assault against a boy under 10 years and intimidating / harassing behavior towards a woman in the form of Voyeurism. The court heard 50 witnesses, 30 for the prosecution and 19 for the two defendants.
During the trial, prosecutor Edward Dahl painted Viggo Kristiansen as an extremely violent psychopath who was obsessed with pornography and rape. Psychiatrists testifying for the prosecution described him as a sexual predator and a "ticking time-bomb". The prosecutor also cast serious doubts on the veracity of Jan Helge Andersen's version of events. Amongst other things, Andersen had no explanation for why the girls were wearing each other's clothes when they were found.
Furthermore, Andersen had changed his story several times during interrogation, and only when confronted with evidence had he admitted to the molesting the girls, as well as covering the bodies with pine branches. He never showed any signs of remorse, seeing himself as another victim of his co-defendant. Court psychiatrists noted his striking tendency to blame every aspect of the crime on Kristiansen, but could not agree on a definite diagnosis. In the end, it was Andersen's statement which was the main pillar in the verdict against Kristiansen.
Read more about this topic: Baneheia Case
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—Albert Camus (1913–1960)
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