Man charged in Oslo killing says he “lives by honour code” in past interview

A 35-year-old man now charged in connection with the death of a woman in Oslo previously claimed in a 2015 interview that he had left his criminal past behind, stating that silence in criminal circles “is a matter of honour,” reports Dagbladet.

The woman, in her 30s, was found unconscious in an elevator in the Grønland district on Saturday morning. Emergency responders attempted life-saving measures, but she was declared dead shortly after. Police deemed the death suspicious, and on Monday, three men—aged 32, 35, and 37—were arrested and charged with murder. All three deny involvement.

On Wednesday, Oslo District Court ordered all three held in pre-trial detention for four weeks in a closed hearing. Police believe one or more of the accused knew the victim. The 35-year-old has a lengthy criminal record, including convictions for aggravated robbery, assault, threats, and unlawful detention, with some offences dating back to his teenage years.

In 2015, he gave interviews about breaking the “code of silence” in criminal environments, claiming he had turned his life around. “It’s about honour,” he said at the time, acknowledging that silence was an expectation for those in criminal circles. However, two years later, he was convicted of a violent home invasion in which he and accomplices—wearing balaclavas and armed with a revolver, knife, and pliers—assaulted and threatened a couple, briefly binding the woman’s hands.

Court records describe him as a former “super-criminal,” a label he used himself during appeal proceedings. Judges noted his extensive history of convictions for robbery, violence, and threats, including a 2017 assessment diagnosing him with dissocial personality disorder. Experts warned that substance abuse increased his risk of violent behaviour, though he later claimed to have moved, found work, and distanced himself from his old criminal environment.

His defence lawyer, Daniel Storrvik, told Dagbladet that his client is cooperating with police and maintains a “friendly relationship” with the victim, having socialised with her the night before her death. “He finds this very, very sad and is deeply affected—both by being charged in a case he says he has nothing to do with and by the death itself,” Storrvik said.

The 37-year-old suspect, also with multiple violence convictions and a 2022 drug offence, admits to being at the scene but denies any wrongdoing, according to his lawyer, Knut Ditlev-Simonsen. The 32-year-old, with prior convictions for drug offences, threatening behaviour, and knife possession, has similarly denied knowledge of the killing.

Police continue to seek witnesses or information related to the case. All three suspects remain in custody.