Friend accused: – A shock that he was indicted again – Dagbladet.no

LARVIK / OSLO (Dagbladet): Today it became clear that Vestfold Police have arrested and charged a 38-year-old man for the murder of Kristin Juel Johannessen in 1999.

• The case: Twelve-year-old Kristina never showed up when she was bathing with her girlfriend. Hours later she was found strangled in the woods.

The accused has previously been convicted of murder in the Larvik district court, but was acquitted before the case was submitted to the High Court.

A friend Dagbladet met today, reviewing 38-year-old as a companion and a good child’s father.

– It came as a shock that he was charged again after all these years. It’s fine that the matter was taken up again, but this is really hard for him and his family, says the friend to Dagbladet.

Dagbladet met him at a gas station outside Larvik center in the afternoon. He and the murder accused 38-year-old has known each other for over 15 years and have worked together on several occasions.

During the first trial, they talked a lot together about Johannessen case, but after he was acquitted, he was more introverted about it.

The friend reviewing otherwise 38-year-old as a quiet and inoffensive person.

– I have only good things to say about him and I have great difficulty in placing him as a murderer. We shared a long period an interest in photography and have had many fine summit together, says the friend told Dagbladet.