Man sentenced to 15 years for murder

A 55-year-old Norwegian man has been sentenced to 15 years of preventive detention for the murder of a 47-year-old Swedish woman in Trollhättan, Dagbladet reports.

Steinar Wangen admitted to travelling to Sweden in September 2024 to assist Malin in her suicide but denies killing her. Prosecutors argued he suffocated her with a pillow after she lost consciousness from pills and alcohol. Wangen claims he was only present as support and denies using a pillow.

The Vestfold District Court ruled in favour of the prosecution’s demand for 15 years of preventive detention. Wangen’s defence lawyer, Gaute Nilsen, confirmed to Dagbladet that the verdict will be appealed. The defence had sought an acquittal.

Assisting lawyers for Malin’s family, Heidi Reisvang and Ida Andenæs Mehren, stated that the relatives believe Wangen bears responsibility for her death and that she could have lived if not for his actions. The court emphasised Malin’s vulnerability and Wangen’s lack of professional or personal qualifications to assess her situation. It also noted his attempts to conceal his actions, which undermined his claim of political activism.

The court awarded 310,000 kroner in compensation to Malin’s mother, father, and son, though the amount was slightly reduced due to her expressed wish to die. The ruling stressed that Wangen’s guilt did not warrant a larger reduction.

During the trial, Wangen pointed out that his DNA was not found on any pillows in Malin’s apartment. Prosecutors presented messages he had sent, including to undercover journalists posing as a suicidal woman in TV 2’s programme Norge bak fasaden. In these, he described methods involving alcohol, pills, and suffocation, claiming he had previously killed others this way.

Wangen, who is currently serving an eight-year sentence for assisting in the suicide of a 76-year-old Norwegian woman in Strömstad in 2023, was acquitted in Sweden of four counts of inciting suicide.