The trial of Gunnar Jóhann Gunnarsson, who is accused of shooting his half-brother, Gísli Þór Þórarinsson, in the small Norwegian town of Mehamn in April last year, begins today.
According to RÚVThe two Icelandic men had lived in Mehamn, a small community of about 800 people, of which about 30 were Icelandic. Both men had been involved in the local fishing industry.
In April last year, Gunnar Jóhann found out that his half-brother had contacted his ex-wife and caused disputes that led to threats from Gunnar’s side and a restraining order against him. According to a RÚV report, Norwegian police claimed that Gunnar had been detained days before the murder. They had also allegedly planned to arrest Gunnar, on the basis of his threats against his half-brother and ex-wife, but a lawyer contacted them that this had not been justified.
Support the Norwegian news media NRK, Gunnar Jóhann already had a criminal record in Iceland for both rape and aggravated violence.
According to Indicator, it is stated in the indictment that Gunnar Jóhann went to his half-brother in late April last year, armed with a shotgun. In the ensuing conflict over the weapon, it is said that two shots were fired, one of them hit Gísli Þór in the artery in his left thigh and caused him to bleed out.
Gunnar Jóhann denies that he shot his half-brother intentionally and says that the shots were accidental. NRK reports that according to his lawyer, Bjørn André Gulstad, he will refuse a criminal fine when the trial officially begins.
GUnn Jóhann Jóhann’s trial had been postponed twice before. In December, it was postponed because the prosecution had not been given the opportunity to review all the evidence in the case, and again in March due to the coronary heart disease epidemic.
According to RÚV, the case is pending before the District Court of Austur-Finnmark in Vadsø. According to the prosecutor in the case, 25 witnesses will be called and the interrogation is expected to end on Tuesday 29 September.
Source: The Nordic Page