the Calendar turned 15. July in 1998, when Marie-Louise Bendiktsen was found dead in his home in Sjøvegan in Salangen. Forensic investigations stated that she was raped and knivdrept before her house was lit on. But from the first day, the murder remained a mystery. the

Now is a 38-year-old man charged for the murder. According to the indictment against the man raping he Bendiktsen before he stabbed her 13 times with a knife or a knivliknende subject in several places on the body, so that she died.

KILLED: Marie-Louise Bendiktsen was found killed in his home in 1998. Photo: Private Show more

He is also accused of having started the fire in the residence that led to that house was badly burned corpse of Bendiktsen was burned. In the indictment it is stated that the killing happened in the time between at 22: 00 on the evening of Monday 13. July and Wednesday 15. July 1998, type VG, which first publicized the indictment.

– Sets the rejected

Troms and Finnmark public prosecutors believe the murder was committed to hide another crime, and that there are particularly aggravating circumstances.

He makes himself completely rejected the charges, and has since last summer been sitting tens of hours in interrogation with the police and cooperated with them, ” says the 38-åringens defender Alexander Greaker to the Newspaper.

the Case comes up for the Nord-Troms district court 14. march of this year, and it is set by three weeks to it. The charges are done by order of the director of public prosecutions.

– We have not yet seen bevisoppgaven in the case, so we’ll see what comes up there. This is an issue that has been investigated for over 20 years. There are countless documents, and the prosecution and the police have basically had a lot of tracks and eventually ended up with my client, ” he says.

CHARGES: the 38-year-old is now accused. Photo: Private Show more

In the course of two decades of investigation, police are among others, the collected DNA material from large parts of the community in Sjøvegan. Nevertheless, they have been left completely without answers to who killed the 59-year-old widow.

New DNA-track

But 20. last June, nearly 20 years after the murder, a man was arrested at the Airport. Then had a team in the Troms police districts and Kripos’ Cold Case-the group worked intensively with the matter in one year.

Police believe new DNA analyses indicate that the man, who worked in the garden to Bendiktsen when she was killed, is the perpetrator they have tried to find the page sommerdagen in 1998.

today was The indictment for the rape, murder and ildspåsettelse against the now 38-year-old man. One of Norway’s largest drapsgåter has taken a sudden turn.

New witnesses, New witnesses can resolve drapsmysteriet from 1998

As the Newspaper publicized in the fall, is that since murder carried out the interrogation of more than 1400 witnesses. After the arrest is also completely new persons questioned – witnesses, the police were not in contact with in the period right after Bendiktsen was killed.

– We have implemented a part vitneavhør that is linked to the siktedes explanation. This is witnesses we spoke with many years ago, but also people we never before have been in contact with, said a sheriff in Salangen, Andreas Nilsen, the time.

Expelled from Norway

The now defendant husband has family in Norway, but has not stayed stuck in the country for several years. He first came to Norway as a refugee in 1997 and lived on the asylmottaket at Sjøvegan until 1998, but was expelled in 2014.

After this he stayed in Sri Lanka, and has only been in the Uk on a tourist visa. 38-year-old previously convicted, among other things, for having attempted to rob a woman and for the aggravated theft.

DEFENSE: Alexander Greaker in The law firm Storrvik. Photo: Heiko Junge / NTB scanpix Show more the Case no one forgot

the Newspaper has previously interviewed Nils Johan Mikalsen who was bailiff in Salangen when the murder at Bendiktsen took place. He described the atmosphere in the village who departed after the news of the arrest became known last summer.

– What I can say, is that this was the most labor-intensive case I worked with during my 30 years as a police sergeant. The murder has persecuted both me and the community since 1998, and the case has plagued and annoyed me for 20 years. There has been a sense of powerlessness, ” said Mikalsen at the time.

the Case is updated

– Case has bothered me for 20 years. It is located and eats the whole time