Accused man in his 30s denies criminal guilt in murder

A man in his 30s is charged with murder after a woman died in a fire in Ålgård on Monday night. He has explained himself but does not admit criminal guilt.

The woman, who is 60 years old, died last night at Stavanger University Hospital. He had injuries that were not compatible with burns, police attorney Fredrik Martin Soma told a news conference Tuesday morning.

The police attorney says the man and the woman knew each other, but were not related.

The police have questioned the defendant, but the police lawyer does not want to go into his explanation.

New interrogations today

Several interrogations have taken place and several witnesses will be questioned during the day. Technical investigations have also been conducted on site, which will continue throughout the day. The accused will also be questioned again during the day.

The defense attorney for the 30-year-old defendant is Vegard Bråstein.

The murder was discovered after a neighbor reported a fire in a vertically divided house in Nilsabakken in Ålgård approx. at 22.20 on Monday night. Emergency services quickly arrived on the scene and firefighters managed to control the fire. When the woman in her 60s was removed, wounds were discovered on her indicating murder.

According to Soma, it is not yet clear whether anyone other than the murdered woman lived at the address.

Looking for named man

Police launched a search and quickly searched for an named person. Shortly after midnight, he was arrested at another address in Ålgård.

Soma will not explain how the now defendant in his 30s came to the spotlight of the police.

– The police have known the man before, says Soma. Who will not comment on whether he has been previously convicted or how he is known to the police.

– It is not yet clear what connection he has to the address where he was arrested.

Soma also says that it is too early to say if the fire started.