An appeals court will acquit a 28-year-old man accused of murdering Jonas

An appeals court will acquit 28-year-old Borkarding of murdering Jonas Henriksen, defense attorneys say.

3 of the accused have already been acquitted. Now the appeals court will also free the 28-year-old, who is still in jail.

Defenders say the public prosecutor has appealed the verdict to the Supreme Court.

– Our client is relieved that the Court of Appeal has decided that he, like the other accused in the case, will be released from custody, Thomas Randby, a lawyer at Elton Advocatefirma, tells VG.

The 28-year-old was arrested in September in Rena. He was the first to be arrested in the case, and a full month passed after the murder before the man was arrested.

Police believe they tricked 28-year-old Henriksen into the room where he was found dead.

The man has denied murder. So are the other accused in the case. The other three accused were acquitted on December 20. However, the charges were confirmed.

– I've had a phone call with everyone that Jonas left, and they're reacting very strongly to this release. Marijana Losic, the family's legal aid attorney, tells VG that they had a hard time accepting that the alleged ringleader had been acquitted earlier.

It's not just the bereaved, but relatives, friends, and people in the local community who have reacted, Lozic says:

– They resent the fact that Jonas's long-term tormentors, who ended up in murder, are now being let off the hook before being answered by the legal system.

Jonas Henriksen, 30, was shot dead in his car in a cabin in Nes, Ringerike, on August 17 this year. Police said the 30-year-old had accused status in a number of cases pending or under investigation. Eleven reported cases were registered between March and August this year.

The police have apologized to the family, believing that the murder could have been prevented if the police had investigated the complaint fully.

Earlier this month, a 30-year-old man was charged with criminal damage in connection with the murder investigation. He was not charged with murder or complicity. The person is abroad and will be arrested when he arrives in Norway.