We have heard here two witnesses explain that
the accused
Ronnie Askov, was not in Copenhagen
but instead in a summer cottage
in North Jutland when the killing took place
and therefore cannot have been the perpetrator.
I refute those claims as we have numerous witnesses that
have identified the accused from the CCTV that we have seen
and also we have the text messages that were sent from the phone of the
accused to the phone of the victim in the weeks leading up to the killing.
I would like to quote:
"I will kill you crazy"
"Sleep tight...
...I know where you and your whore are hiding."
Message.... ...after message.
Leading up to the day of the killing.
And then they stopped.
So even with the witnesses telling the court that the
accused, Ronnie Askov, wasn't in the flat in Copenhagen,
the prosecution remains convinced that it has been thoroughly proven
that the accused, Ronnie Askov, shot and killed the merely 18
year old Brian Ottesen on the morning of Sunday the 23ʳᵈ of March.
A shooting of this kind can only have been planned and a deliberate act.
And therefore it is beyond any reasonable doubt proven
that the accused, Ronnie Askov, has committed a murder.
Aren't you the head of Serious Crimes?
Yes, I am.
Well.. the head of the Criminal Investigation Department.
It was... ..my boyfriend that was killed.
I'm very sorry to hear that.
How long does it normally take for them to reach a verdict?
Oh well. That is hard to say.
Do you think he will be found guilty?
I really don't know.
How far are you gone?
34 weeks.
Congratulations.
He didn't even know he was going to be a dad.
We have now reached a verdict in this case.
And the verdict is:
The accused, Ronnie Askov,
is found Not Guilty in the case of the murder of Brian Ottesen.
You may be seated.
I can inform the court, that this was not an unanimous verdict between jury and judges.
There were one judge and two jury members that found the accused guilty,
while the rest determined there was not enough evidence to convict.
Did you see him look up?
Yes. I know he did it.
Yes, I know that also.
But clearly we failed to prove it.
Let's appeal the case.
I need to read through the verdict first.
If the CCTV and the threats were not enough,
then I am not sure what else we can do.
I hate the court.
I'll see you later.
The Investigation
Day 1 11ᵗʰ August 2017
Morning.
Do you know where my cup is?
Your cup?
Yes.
Someone has stolen your cup?
Ha ha ha.
There it is.
Do you want coffee?
Yes, please. That would be great.
Thanks.
Are you busy?
I hope not.
I am busy. Apparently.
I'll probably not be home until after 4.
Okay. I can buy the fish.
Great.
Remember that your daughter is bringing her boyfriend.
See you later.
Yes.
Nero! Come!
Globus! Come!
It is very nice to take the back-roads...
Yes, it is very beautiful there.
Indeed.
Good reason to go that way.
Because all the....
Good Morning.
Morning. Morning.
Okay. Let's start.
Hmm. Yes.
Of course they say that.
Nicolaj?
Yes. I have a peculiar one here.
At about 01.00, a young man called and reported his Swedish girlfriend missing.
She is a journalist and at around 19.00 she sailed in a home-built
submarine in relation to an interview but didn't return as intended.
Home-built submarine?
Yes, she apparently wanted to interview one of those who built it.
And it was just the two of them?
Yes, as far as we know.
What is the status now?
The submarine has been reported missing and the Navy has been alerted
in case it is at the bottom of Øresund in which case it becomes a rescue operation.
Worst case?
That they run out of oxygen before we find them.
Okay.
Musa?
What have you got?
Yes.
I have two and maybe three shootings that are likely all linked.
One in Mimisgade One in Tingberg
and one in Unisgade.
And it says here that one person was wounded. He appears to have been an innocent bystander and not
linked to the gangs. He was suddenly hit by shots from a passing by car.
Jens Møller.
It's Jakob.
I had a missed call.
Yes. I just wanted to hear if there was anything new in the Ronnie Askov case?
No. not yet. I am still waiting to hear from the Prosecution office.
But it is not like we have anything new to bring.
No.
Okay.
I'll be in touch. Have a good weekend.
PULL!
It's Jens.
Yes. Hi Nikolaj.
Okay. The submarine.
Okay. Yes. Yes.
Okay.
And all aboard are fine?
And also the journalist?
Great news. Have a good weekend.
PULL!
Yes, Hello.
Hello!
Hello.
Yes, It is Jens again.
Right. Now we have been told that the submarine did sink.
It sank?
Yes.
Ohh!!
Yes. It sank suddenly, shortly after the sailing boat had contact with it.
And what about those on-board?
Well, it appears the submarine builder has been rescued.
Hmmm!
And the journalist?
There was no information about her.
The colleagues from central are asking if they should arrest him?
Well... for what?
Oh...I don't know.
We should ask him to come to the station for an interview.
Okay. And if he refuses?
Then, we will know that there is something dodgy going on.
Okay. Understood.
I will then ask them to bring him to the station.
Perfect! I'll come there now.
Okay. Great.
He claims that he brought her back at 22.30 but the boyfriend
hasn't heard anything from her since she sent him a text at around 8pm.
Where did she go?
What do you mean?
Did he not see where she went after he brought her back?
Hmmm!
Have we asked for the dog squad to go there?
Yes, they have already been out there.
Yes?
I was told to report here with regards to the missing Swedish journalist.
Yes. Come on in.
You can sit over there.
Where were we, Nikolaj?
Oh yes. He didn't see where she went.
But he claims to have sent a text message to his wife after he left her.
And what about the boyfriend?
Maybe he was jealous that she went sailing with another man?
Could he have waited for her when she came back on land?
No, I doubt it. He has a very solid alibi.
He was with their joint friends all evening and that has been verified.
It's Jens Møller.
Yes.
Okay.
And, she is completely sure?
That's good.
Thank you.
That was the Navy.
Their experts don't see how the submarine can
just sink like that, unless it was done on purpose.
The yachtsmen that found the guy. What did they say?
He had told them he had gone for a dive and when he submerged
then he had jumped into the sea after which the submarine had sunk.
This is Jens Møller.
Yes. Listen.
I.. I think we need to charge him with murder right now.
You will see to it? Thank you.
Musa, Nikolaj. You two need to prepare to question him.
I hear that you are charging him with murder?
Yes.
On what grounds?
On the grounds that I believe he has killed her.
And what makes you think that?
Because they sailed out together and he returned alone.
And then there are indications that the submarine was sunk on purpose.
Some indications?
What else should I charge him with?
Have you made it into the submarine?
The divers from the Navy are on their way now.
Okay.
He needs to go in front of a judge, no later than 10.30 tomorrow morning.
And before then, I really need a bit more than just your hunch if we want him locked up.
See you later.
Yes.
Yes. Hi. It's me.
No. Unfortunately I haven't been able to do that.
I had to go back to the office.
Yes...There is a new case.
We know very little as yet. Hopefully it's nothing.
No, no. I will be back tonight. Just not sure exactly when.
Tell her that I am looking forward to see her.
Thanks love.
And the journalist allegedly was set off here.
She lives with her boyfriend in some sort of a commune over there.
The accused has a workshop in the same area.
We begin to search here and then drive westwards
and here are some restaurants.
We are in the process of getting their CCTV footage.
How far is it between the workshop and her home?
Some 2-300 metres, I would guess.
But, they didn't know each other?
Well, that I don’t know.
It's the central police station. I'll answer.
Sure.
This is Maibritt.
LM!
Møller!
It's been a while.
Indeed.
I understand you have had divers down to the submarine.
Yes, I had a couple of guys down there.
But no sign of life?
No.
No banging noises.
We could not see any sign of life through the windows.
You haven't made it into it yet?
No. The entrance is very small. There is no reason to take unnecessary risks with the men.
There is no sign of life.
So we don't know if she is in there?
If she is, then she is not alive.
Didn't he say that he had dropped her off?
Yes, but we have just been out there and there are no signs of her.
We need to get this submarine up as quickly as possible.
Why?
Because the accused comes in front of the judge tomorrow morning.
Okay.
It's down 10 metres in the middle of a strong current.
It weighs probably 60-70 tonnes.
It's full of water.
Can you not get it up?
Yes, we can. But it won't be easy.
No. That's life.
Indeed.
We will do our best.
The parents of the journalist, have apparently
seen on TV that we are charging for murder.
No-one informed them?
No. They thought we were still looking for her alive.
We are.
Yes, but they don't understand how we can charge
for murder, yet at the same time look for her alive.
Give them my phone number and tell them they can call me if they have any questions.
Did you get that?
Yes.
This is Jens Møller.
Hello. My name is Joachim Wall.
It is my daughter that is missing.
Yes. Hello Joachim. Hello.
Do you have time to talk?
Yes. Sure, I do.
We don't quite understand what you exactly are doing?
You say that he is suspected of murder.
But at the same time you don't know if Kim is still alive? What are you doing?
No. It is too early for us to draw conclusions.
So...
Uhhuu..
Yes, but...
Is she alive or....?
I mean, is there still hope?
Joachim. Are you still in Copenhagen?
Yes, we are still here.
He has at least not dropped her off there.
Go back again.
When can you and Nicolaj question him?
His lawyer is coming in from Jutland so at
earliest this evening or only tomorrow morning.
Where is Nikolaj now?
He is preparing request for ongoing detention.
Could you call him and ask him to come here?
Sure.
Okay.
We fear that she is dead, even though we still hope for the best.
That she has slept somewhere in the city last night.
But if she is dead.
Then there are 4 ways that she can have died: - Natural Death, Accident, Suicide or Murder.
If we focus on Murder, then there are 7 motives:
Lust, Jealousy, Revenge, Money, Extremism, Loathing and Excitement.
90% of all murders committed by men against a woman are due to lust or jealousy.
Mmmmm.
But jealousy requires that the victim and perpetrator know each other.
That is not the case with lust.
So the key question is: Did they know each other?
The boyfriend claims they did not.
However they live only 300 metres from each
other so it wouldn't be unlikely if they did.
Maybe she lied to him and perhaps she lived a double life?
We've seen that before.
But are we still fully excluding the boyfriend?
Yes. His alibi is pretty strong for the whole evening.
After all she is a journalist, so he is used to her talking to different people.
Okay. This is what we know now.
Until we get to question the suspect and recover the submarine.
I've been told we can start questioning him at 23.00.
Okay. Very good.
It's gonna be a long night.
Yes.
Maibritt. You need to go to the harbour tomorrow at 6.30 am and
meet up with LM and the divers and be on hand with the recovery.
And I will meet with the parents later and tell them what we know.
Why do you meet them already tonight?
Because they learned from the press that we are charging him with murder.
If there is anyone we don't want as enemies now, then it's them.
Indeed.
Alright?
Yes.
You get the coffee?
Yes, sure.
It is all so strange. The Swedish police called and
said that everything was okay with both of them.
And then they call again and say that it was only him that was safe.
We didn't get it, and we still don't.
What do you think has happened?
I'm afraid it is much too early to say but we are doing
everything we can to look for any signs of life.
Have you been into the submarine?
No. It is too risky to get into it.
Too risky? For whom?
For the divers.
They say the entrance is far to narrow.
If you can climb in and out, then surely you can swim into it.
I.. I can promise you that we are doing everything we possibly can.
We are looking to recover the submarine tomorrow morning.
Do you think she is inside?
We really don't know.
But you suspect him of murder?
Well, that is more of a technicality.
If you are arrested in Denmark, then you have to be charged.
And if we don't charge, then we have to let them go. That's why.
So, there is still hope?
Yes.
Until we...
Until there is no clear proof otherwise.
Then there is hope.
There is one thing I have been wondering about. How the hell can it sink?
That we don't know.
How can a submarine sink?
I think we will find out a lot tomorrow morning.
I was a diver myself in the old days.
And a good friend of mine is a diver and knows Øresund very well.
So if there is anything we can help with, then please let me know.
Yes. Thank you.
That's good for us to know.
Do you have children?
Yes. I do
But, if there is anything else. Whatever it may
be. Then please do not hesitate to call.
Find my daughter!
Just...Find her.
Thanks for giving us your time.
Yes, of course.
Hello, to the two of you.
Hello.
Hi there.
Hello. Welcome.
Good to see you.
Hi my love.
Hi Dad.
It's been awhile.
Yes.
Do you want a glass?
Yes, please.
Have you looked around?
Yes.
It's a lovely place.
It's big, isn't it?
Yeah.
We pushed the boat out a bit.
Well, there is actually something..
That I... Well, we would really would...
like to... tell you..
Hi Nikolaj.
I see.
Okay.
How is he?
How does he explain that we can't see her on the CCTV?
Okay.
When do you expect to finish with him?
Alright. Bye.
Yes?
Yes. Well...
Well, what we wanted to say
is that....
I am pregnant.. and you're going to be a Grandad.
Seriously?
Well...
Wow, that is fantastic.
Yes, it is.
How long are you gone? Umm. When?
It's actually in February.
Yes, gone 12 weeks.
Yeah.
Oh sorry. I don't know..
But why didn't you tell me sooner?
Well.. you know... Oh.. I wanted to... but
Well you know. We wanted to do the first scan..
Yeah.
Sorry, all.
Nikolaj, what's up?
Yes?
Yes.
Maibritt goes with them tomorrow to raise the submarine.
And then we see what happens.
Okay.
Oh, did they leave?
Yes.
Have you seen Jens?
No.
Day 2 12ᵗʰ August 2017
Jens!
Yes?
He has asked to be re-interviewed.
When?
Now.
Before going in-front of the judge.
The detention request has been pushed to this afternoon, but when he
heard that we are lifting the submarine he requested to be re-interviewed.
He said that if we recover the submarine then
there was something he should better tell us now.
Okay.
They are bringing him here now.
We have prepared room #5.
He has...
just explained that...
she is dead.
How did it happen?
Well apparently, there was an accident.
The hatch of the submarine hit her on the head.
Right!
So her body is in the submarine?
No.
He said that he gave her a 'burial at sea.'
He did what?
'Burial at sea.'
As in, disposing of her body into the sea.
How was he when he said it?
Hmm, very calmly.
So, he didn't seem overly upset about it?
No. Not really.
Okay.
But, how did he exactly word it? What had happened?
Here.
They climbed up to the bridge to get some fresh air. He went ahead
and when she came up the hatch fell by accident onto her head.
He heard something fall down to the bottom of the submarine.
And when he finally managed to open the hatch again he saw that she was
lying in a pool of blood at the bottom of the sub. He climbed down
and saw that she was so badly injured that she would not survive.
He saw that she would not survive?
Yes. It was all so horrible that he had decided
to sail out to sea and commit suicide.
On the way, he had come to his senses and wanted instead
to go home and say goodbye to his cats and his wife.
Okay. Stop now!
How did the submarine sink?
That he gave no explanation of.
Why didn't he try to save her? Why didn't he call for help?
Because it was like everything was over. He had lost everything.
Did he say anything about where we may find her body?
Yes... He said that he had thrown her body in the sea somewhere in Køge Bay.
Okay, tell me again.
Why did he throw her into the sea?
Well, because it was all so horrible and it was the only way for it to go away.
Yeah!
What are you thinking?
I think he has come up with a story to explain why
we most likely will find blood in the submarine.
And why the body will have head injuries.
We say it is murder.
He claims it's an accident.
Is that what he is going to say at the detention hearing?
Yes. I would think so.
Then I think we best talk to Swedish police and get them to talk to the parents.
They need to know that most likely she is dead.
Before it becomes public knowledge.
Yes.
Well, we need to wait and see what we learn from the submarine.
No.
It's unfortunately not as easy as we had hoped.
The problem is that the sub simply weighs too much for the crane to lift it all the way.
The first attempt failed due to change in the weather conditions.
Yes.
Just back from the court.
Negligent homicide.
4 weeks detention on negligent homicide.
What did he say?
That it was an accident.
Did the judge believe him?
No.
But I do not have any evidence to the contrary right now.
What if he is actually telling the truth?
Maybe it was just an accident.
What would you do if you were driving with a
journalist in your car and she suddenly died?
I don't know.
No.
But you wouldn't throw her body in a ditch, drive your car
into the sea and then go home to say goodbye to your cats.
No.
Is there anything new regarding Ronnie Askov?
We have decided not to appeal to the high court.
It looks like he will walk.
We are ready to try again.
We are ready to lift!
Everyone, look out.