On Monday afternoon, we will hear the last words in the Blok 5 case, where the prosecution is trying to convict a 42-year-old man for the much-publicized murder in Nuuk in 2024. The defense and prosecution disagree about many things – but not about everything.
After almost four days are the judge and judges of the Sermersooq District Court ready to hear the proceedings. First, deputy prosecutor Aprilia Jespersen tells why she wants the 42-year-old defendant in the case convicted of manslaughter.
– I find it worrisome that a man accused of murder does not have a need to defend himself, she says, referring to the fact that the accused has refused to make a statement throughout the case.
The prosecutor then moves on to the forensic evidence that incriminates the 42-year-old in the case.
– His DNA, fingerprints and handprints were found, which place him both at the scene of the crime, the place where he was found and effects around the place where he was found, points out Aprilia Jespersen.
The prosecutor’s explanation is that on the night in question in 2024, the defendant intended to spend the night with his sister, who lives in Block 5. When he went in vain, he decided to sleep in the storage room.
Down here, he met the 20-year-old, who was already sleeping on a collection of mattresses. And here something must have clicked for the accused man, the prosecutor believes:
– The deceased has been subjected to strong, serious blows to the face – at least 19 blows with a stone. (…) It must have been clear to the defendant that the victim could die as a result of the violence committed against him, she says.
The 42-year-old is silent, just like last week, and the dark jersey has been replaced with a light one. He seems a little more nervous today than before, but is still quite calm.
Other people in game
Then it will be defense attorney Marie Louise Frederiksen’s turn:
– Every reasonable doubt must benefit the defendant, she emphasized first.
The technical evidence does not give the court a clear answer as to who caused the deceased’s death, says the defender. She emphasizes that genetic material must be seen in context, as an expert witness told the court during last week’s hearings.
The context here is that DNA has been found from her client, but DNA has also been found from other people, emphasizes Marie Louise Frederiksen.
And no DNA from the 42-year-old has been found on the most important item in the case – namely the stone which, by all accounts, was the crime weapon.
Marie Louise Frederiksen also believes that the fact that the police still have an additional person charged in the case raises additional doubts about her client’s guilt.
– It says something that the police are still targeting him. If you were so sure it wasn’t him, why haven’t you dropped the charge, she asks.
If the court nevertheless finds that the 42-year-old hit the young man with the stone, it should result in a sentence for violence resulting in death, not manslaughter, she concludes.
Agree on any measure
At the same time, the prosecutor and the defense agree on one important thing: if the man is found guilty, it should result in a sentence to a psychiatric hospital, not an ordinary measure to an institution.
– It is clear that we are dealing with a defendant who is ill and is now hospitalized in Denmark, where he is well medicated and is doing better, points out Aprilia Jespersen.
Prior to the trial, the man stayed at the forensic psychiatric ward R3 at Aarhus University Hospital.
There is an additional factor in the case, as the 42-year-old is accused of beating a woman in July 2024 in Nuussuaq.
However, both of the witnesses called in this matter have withdrawn, so that could indicate an acquittal in that part of the case. But the charges have not been dropped, so it is still up to the court to decide.
A verdict will be handed down in the case tomorrow, Tuesday at 2 p.m., the judge says.
