Gjerdrum double murder suspect faces 21 years in prison

The prosecution has requested a 21-year prison sentence for a 48-year-old man accused of killing his wife and their three-year-old daughter in Gjerdrum in December 2024, TV 2 reports.

Prosecutor Cecilie Schløsser Møller of Romerike and Glåmdal District Court stated Monday that while there were strong arguments both for and against preventive detention, the decision was made not to pursue it. “I have been very uncertain whether the conditions for preventive detention are met,” she said.

The defendant initially denied criminal responsibility for his daughter’s death, claiming he had attempted to save her life after calling police to report the incident. Last week, however, he admitted to killing the child. He had previously confessed to strangling his wife with a rope and later attempting to strangle their daughter with the same rope before changing his mind and contacting authorities.

A 19-minute emergency call made by the accused was played in court. His daughter died in hospital five days later after being taken off life support.

“Anette had, for some time, wanted to leave the marriage and that evening had gathered the courage to say she would sleep alone. This courage cost both her and May Elin their lives,” the prosecutor said in court.

The killings took place in the early hours of 12 December 2024. The suspect has been in pre-trial detention since his arrest. A court-ordered psychiatric evaluation later determined he was not psychotic but posed a risk of reoffending.