A man who was wrongfully convicted of raping and killing two young children (ages 8 and 10) and sentenced to 21 years in jail has been exonerated.

 

A guy who was wrongfully convicted of raping and killing two little girls, ages 8 and 10, and sentenced to 21 years in jail was finally exonerated today.

According to Mail Online, the Norwegian prosecutor's office withdrew the charges against Viggo Kristiansen, now 43, after re-examining the evidence.

It has been called one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in Norwegian history that he was wrongfully convicted of raping and killing Stine Sofie Sorstronen, eight, and Lena Slogedal Paulsen, ten.

In 2001 and 2002, two separate judges handed Kristiansen the maximum penalty available at the time: 21 years in jail, with the potential of an extension.

The two young women's bodies were discovered in a lake in a forested area of the southern United States in May of 2000.

Co-defendant Jan Helge Anderson's testimony was found to be unreliable after the case was revisited last year. His close buddy Kristiansen was the prime suspect in the murder, and he had accused him.

It was also stated in the study that Kristiansen's phone was nowhere near the claimed crime scene at the time it was committed, and that DNA evidence did not corroborate the idea that other criminals were involved.

According to Attorney General Jon Sigurd Maurud's statement to the press, "the case has had profoundly terrible implications, notably for Kristiansen, who has served more than 20 years in jail and has therefore been deprived of huge parts of his life," both for Kristiansen and his loved ones.

So, he said, "on behalf of the prosecution, I want to offer my sincerest condolences for the injustice that has been perpetrated."

Apologies were also issued by the national police and the police district that led the inquiry.

After serving his time in jail, Kristiansen was freed last year, and his attorney claims that he is now entitled to seek restitution from the state for more than 30 million Norwegian Kroner ($2.8 million).

In light of the prosecution's decision to dismiss the charge against him, the remaining steps for his acquittal amount to mere formalities.

If the court of appeal announces an acquittal, this will be one of the largest judicial scandals in Norwegian history, Justice Emilie Enger Mehl told reporters during a press conference convened to react on the announcement.

Furthermore, she made a qualified apology and declared the launch of an impartial investigation into the circumstances behind the conviction.

The prosecution also said that they will look into Kristiansen's co-defendant Andersen, who received a reduced sentence of 19 years in prison in exchange for his cooperation with investigators.