The family of murdered Jonas Aarseth Henriksen criticizes defense lawyer Jon Anders Hasle – NRK Buskerud – Local news, TV and radio

On 17 August last year, Jonas Aarseth Henriksen was found shot dead in a car near Nes in Ådal. Five people have been charged with murder or complicity in murder.

All five deny having anything to do with the murder.

Mother Elin Aarseth, stepfather Ivar Borgen, stepmother Torunn Bjerkerud and father Trond Henriksen have reacted strongly to the statements of Jon Anders Hasle, the defender of the man who the police believe is the main man.

– He and several others have wanted to torment Jonas. We feel that there has been an over-focus on my client and motives of jealousy. We believe it is at best unvarnished, because there are several people who have had a motive to torment Jonas, Hasle has stated to NRK, among other things.

Was provoked

It is the word “bullying” that the family particularly reacts to.

– I was very provoked when I saw the statements. Because that is not how we have experienced it. And that was not how Jonas experienced it. He lived in a nightmare and a hell. He wasn’t doing well in the years before it ended the way it did, says mother Elin Aarseth.

– We understand the task of a defense lawyer. But there must be certain limits and decency in what to express, continues father Trond Henriksen.

Last week, NRK met one of the five accused in the case. The man in his 30s from Hønefoss believed that Jonas Aarseth Henriksen was terrorized before the murder.

Many events

The family believes it is obvious that this is much more than just bullying Jonas has been exposed to. Henriksen had lorries set on fire, he was beaten up, and he was subjected to a long series of acts of vandalism.

– If he had not been killed on August 17, how long would they have continued? I don’t think it would have stopped, says stepmother Torunn Bjerkerud.

– There is nothing to indicate that. If the goal was just to beat Jonas, then they would have reached the goal, says father.

He points out that his son was sent to hospital after being attacked on his way to the car one morning in March last year.

– So the goal has been something much more than that. It is the sum total of what I know terribly, even in retrospect, that for two years he would have a living nightmare without being taken seriously. It was the last two years for Jonas, says father Henriksen.

Opposition to murder

Lawyer Jon Anders Hasle has heard the criticism from the parents. In questioning, his client has admitted damage and complicity in violence.

But his client has not admitted any involvement in the murder.

– I have contrasted this with murder, says Hasle to NRK.

– I can accept that some may find the use of words difficult in such a situation. But it stands in contrast to murder, and that is why the word torture has been used. For it to include both damage and violence and other possible actions, says the defense lawyer.

The time frame

The parents have previously told NRK that they want the police to extend their time frame and not just focus on what happened to their son from March until he died.

Among other things, Jonas was exposed to three fires that started in the summer of 2021.

– We do not have complete confidence in the police that they have investigated them well enough. There is more to investigate. We feel that there is still a potential to find out more about those matters, says stepfather Ivar Borgen.

– We hope that those who may know something can come forward and tell what has happened, so that those cases can also be clarified and closed, says Borgen.

Fictional missions

Jonas Aarseth Henriksen is said to have been lured out in a tow truck to remote locations several times before he was shot and killed.

The investigation has found a number of phone calls and fictitious assignments in the time before the murder.

It has been particularly tough for the family.

– It is still difficult to accept that this has actually happened. That it is our Jonas who is no longer here, says mother Elin Aarseth.