Serial Killer: The Tistedalen Murders

Scandinavian Crimes (w/ Devante & Delila)

Years Active: 1991-1993
Location: Norway
Serial Killer: Roger Herbert Haglund
Victim(s): 4
Method: Murder, Robbery

Tistedalen, nestled in the region of Østfold, Norway, the once flourishing sawmill industry played a pivotal role in shaping the tight-knit community. As the dawn of the 20th century approached, Tistedalen transformed into a harmonious working-class neighborhood, where diverse religious factions peacefully coexisted. However, the tranquility was abruptly shattered by a series of savage homicides that unfolded in the years 1991 and 1992. 

With its peaceful facade shattered, Tistedalen found itself thrust into the spotlight as the focal point of media scrutiny, entangled in one of Norway's most infamous murder sagas.


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Transcript

Welcome to another episode of Scandinavian crimes. My name is Devante and say hello to my lovely co-host Delilah. Hi.(...) And on this podcast, we will talk about famous Scandinavian criminals who made their mark throughout Scandinavian history. So today we're going to be discussing the Tistedalen murders. The Tistedalen murders took place in Østfold, Norway, that was once a thriving sawmill industry community.(...) As the 20th century arrived, Tistedalen evolved into a close-knit working-class neighborhood with various religious groups coexisting harmoniously.(...) However, the tranquility was shattered when a series of brutal murders occurred in 1991 and 1992.

(...)

Tistedalen became the center of media attention facing one of Norway's most notorious murder cases.(...) So I want you all to sit back and enjoy the ride because I know you guys love when we talk about serial killers, especially unknown serial killers or serial killers that are not super talked about nowadays like the US ones are. But grab your tea,(...) grab your snacks, because even though the story isn't super duper long, it's still going to be quite a ride.(...) So listen up as we talk about the Tistedalen murders.

(...)

It was September 3rd, 1991 in the quiet town of Tistedalen, Asse Helen, and Arne Odvar Nordby, a pair of elderly siblings aged 78 and 74 were brutally murdered in a way that would shock the entire community. The Nordby siblings, whose bond was unbreakable as the years were numerous, met a tragic end within the very walls of their cherished home. Their bodies bore the cruel scars of multiple stab wounds, each testament to the brutality that had fallen them. As the investigation unfolded, it became evident that the motive was not only a senseless murder, but to also strip them of their belongings leaving behind a scene of horror and emptiness.(...) The local law enforcement responded with determination, launching an extensive investigation in an attempt to solve the case. However, their relentless pursuit of the truth appeared to be formidable and challenging, causing growing frustration among the investigative team.(...) As the passage of time deepened the mystery, the unrelenting quest for answers led to the unjust suspicion falling upon two innocent individuals who were later released. In a prevailing air of uncertainty, a subtle hint of a lead emerged. In the evening, only days before their murder, the Nordby siblings had an encounter with an unfamiliar figure lurking within the confines of their garden.(...) The identity of the stranger remained a mystery, and the attempt to uncover his identity was met with a cryptic explanation.(...) The man claimed he was in search of a lost dog.(...) Little did they suspect that this seemingly unremarkable encounter would lead to a series of horrifying incidents.(...) A year later, on September 1, 1992, the town was plunged once more into terror. This time the unfortunate victim was Pur Rod, a 71-year-old pensioner. A brutal blow from the iron bar left him defenseless, paving the way for a relentless barrage of stabbing. His lifeless body was then heartlessly discarded onto the compost pile within his own garden. As weeks faded into months, the absence of Pur became a haunting riddle that plagued the community. The efforts of the police to locate him yielding little, and his whereabouts, remained an unsolved puzzle. It wasn't until the month of March, 1993, the two neighbors stumbled upon the disturbing discovery of the lifeless remains of Pur. The wounds that marred his body bore similarities to the horrors that had fallen the Nord by siblings, a grim realization that a serial killer was at play. In the midst of this escalating nightmare, on December 23, 1992, the town was thrust into another horroring incident.(...) Karl Johan Hagavik, a 54-year-old manager of the local food store, met his demise. A gunshot had been fired to the back of his head, silencing his life forever.

(...)

Yet strangely, Karl's money was left untouched while his bag contained three liters of milk was actually stolen.(...) This left the investigation confused.(...) The perpetrator's motive defies logic and reason.(...) Why would the murderer kill this man over some milk? The unfolding tragedy transformed the Tistedalen area into an eerie ghost town cloaked in a veil of apprehension and dread.(...) The once-thriving community became a landscape of shadows with its denizens cowering in the face of the unseen menace.(...) The murders of the Nord by siblings, Pur. Rod, and Karl Johan Hagavik etched a permanent mark onto the town.(...) Amid the relentless pursuit to find the perpetrator, a haunting question lingered, "Who could orchestrate such horrible acts of murder?" The terror that had gripped Tistedalen was finally beginning to unravel as the police started to piece everything together. They quickly linked the three murder cases as it appeared that the crimes were driven by motives of robbery.(...) Additionally, evidence indicated that the same individual responsible for these murders were also involved in a recent bank robbery in Läubie near Haalanden. Months of relentless investigation carried out in close collaboration with the National Criminal Investigation Service, the police was able to apprehend Roger Herbert Haglan on the 1st of May 1993.(...) Roger is a 55-year-old family man from the very heart of Tistedalen. The evidence that tied him to the crimes was strong and his motives aligned with the profile they had since the beginning of the investigation. His alibi was flimsy and crumbled under scrutiny as well as Roger's financial situation was poor which potentially led him to his sinister motives.

(...)

Roger's demeanor and the face of interrogation made it possible for the investigators to better understand who he truly was. His cold detachment stood out, a stark contrast to the depths of depravity that the evidence suggested. As Rogers was confronted with the evidence, he confessed to the unspeakable acts only to recant his admission, weaving a disturbing narrative of manipulation and control. Roger stated that he had been coerced by the notorious murderer and sex offender Edgar Antenson who had committed suicide that same year.(...) According to him, Edgar compelled him into making a false confession for the crimes.

(...)

Roger's violent acts stretched beyond the borders of Norway. During the investigation, a connection to another brutal double murder in Sweden came to light that had happened earlier in the years.(...) However, he was never brought to trial for these crimes.(...) The wheels of justice chose not to turn in that direction leaving the echoes of that particular horror unanswered. As the trial proceedings unfolded, the public prosecutor, Lassie Kavikstad, massively portrayed Roger as a calculated and methodical individual capable of extinguishing innocent lives in cold blood and then methodically scouring their homes for material gain.(...) Roger's resolve wavered and he confessed in court ultimately giving way to the overwhelming weight of the prosecution's case.

(...)

On the 26th of April 1994,(...) the sentence was made. He ended up with 21 years behind bars, coupled with five years of preventative detention.(...) After spending 13 years behind bars, Roger was granted parole although his health had deteriorated significantly.(...) He initially settled in Sket small but later relocated to Strahmant.(...) At the age of 73, Roger passed away on December 9th, 2011, marking the end of his life. As a traveler of this nightmarish tale closed, his dalen was left grappling with the residue of fear and sorrow that had woven itself into the very fabric of the community.(...) The scars of the past would for ever shape its landscape, a reminder of the darkness that could emerge from the most unsuspecting corners of humanity.(...) 

Very comprehensive discussion notes. I didn't have time to like fix it but(...) basically this case was a very, there was like multiple murders but there was not a lot of information regarding like all of the cases. The one that gave the most was the last one which was the what which was Karl Johan Hagevick and where we got more information of his that that like he got robbed of milk but not really the money from you know his store which I think was very puzzling because they ended up saying that he the guy who Roger was the culprit because he was famous for being a robbery robber I don't I guess you say like that. 

I don't know but to be honest with you I feel like if you're truly a like robber kind of guy and you're poor and like if you murder somebody why didn't they take the money? Why was milk more important the money?(...) I think at least maybe it was like a fake like huh I'm gonna misdirect you guys. What I'm thinking I guess is like maybe he didn't just simply steal money he stole things that he needed. So at that moment he was like I need milk to make pancakes so what?(...) I mean the money what like don't you need the money if you're poor? I'm sure but I think that's what the logic was I'm just gonna steal the things that I need and unfortunately he was willing to kill over milk at least.(...) So but also like I said it's hard to pass judgment because they didn't give a lot of clues on what the investigative process was there wasn't a lot of details. It was only like it was such a cold like like the way he murdered them was so cold-hearted. 

Yeah and then also he did say that he was coerced to confess but then confessed in court and this did take place in the 90s and for anyone who's been watching as they're watching but listening to podcasts you know unfortunately the 80s 90s 70s confessions can be very unreliable because of certain practices that took place during those times. So am I saying this is like this person is innocent? I have no idea no but also based on the lack of information due to the investigation um even what we saw what we can try and find online it just seems like there's a lot of stuff missing that we don't know we don't even know how they came to the conclusion that it was him. But they did kind of like they were like oh it's hinted that like oh he's poor and he's a robbery and he lives in Tistadala so therefore he is the culprit that's basically what they how they determined and then they start in like investigate and interview him and I guess during that time that's when he confessed but they also said like the evidence tied to him so I don't know what type of evidence they was trying that they did. That's why I say it's tough too because like we've heard that before but oh the evidence and the motives aligned but I mean like the motives can always align with a sculpted robbery so yeah because like it can be literally for anything so like I said we don't know what's true what isn't true and we're not trying to say that they're innocent if they aren't innocent then hey it is what it is um but it just there's a lot there's a lack of information but even but he did confess at court though but he lied during there so remember the vagal christiansen one I mean yeah but he was also mentally he had issues he just had a lower IQ but I mean that too but like it was something similar that happened he was also drug infused and like coerced into saying things but the guy in this story didn't mention he was coerced wait he didn't have low IQ he was studying other cases and just kind of incorporated that and guessing based on how they question him so I don't think that's a low IQ thing I might be I think you got confused on the notes but he actually was he did get coerced into confessing which later ended up no I mean he wanted the attention as well no no that's not vagal you're vagal vagal christiansen no no no wait I'm I'm I am thinking about Thomas Thomas quick I'm my bad I corrected you into wrong correction I am so sorry bigo was the one who I believed he had a lower IQ yeah and then he was actually innocent and then he was forced to confess yes and he even confessed at one point in court but then he retracted his statement exactly when that not during a retrial but when the later in the case during the trial he had retract and said he was coerced to confess yeah so that's what I'm saying like it's hard to tell with this case in particular because this sounds a very like very similar to a lot of cases where people were forced to confess but they did like the expert or what was his name there was a guy he was like la se the prosecutor he was portraying him to be this like methodical and calculated like manipulative guy but they did the same thing as well that's their job I mean I guess that's their job but I feel like if the judge because like the way they like he murdered the people if it was him was so brutal so I mean okay you know what you're right I feel conflicted because like there's nothing at least stated that was like absolutely him and we don't have a ton of information and just because the prosecutor you know was like hey he's a methodical killer regardless if the person is innocent or not and they know they're not their job is still to oh but convince them I want to now I remember why I wrote this in this this little short little note of the discussion part it's because the court described him as an ice cold psychopath but there was no real I don't I couldn't find any evaluations or any experts that nothing that actually did anything to determine if he was or was not so this was only the court that felt that he was very like psychopath ish yes so it sounds like but I guess the take this with a grain of salt yeah take this with a grain of salt this sounds like this might have been circumstantial but it could have also been the truth as well it could like we can't really say for sure but I feel like I wanted to classify this as a murder mystery but because like we I don't know if he's truly like it's like I don't have we don't have anything to go from but I also feel like okay sorry my bad I can't I get my thought process gone I'm dead so yeah take it with a grain of salt it's possible that you know it truly is they had something and we just can't find it but also I am the person that I am is I can admit when something sounds similar to other cases of coarse confessions so that way you know it just comes off as like there's something missing and this seems like they just went with the first person who they felt matched their profile and that's just what it seems like but I could be wrong take it with a grain of salt do not take what I said as my opinion as a fact and just just stuff to keep in mind and kind of keep the discussion flowing but not a super long case um overall opinion as I've already said it just seems like there's some missing information for me personally me too so just to wrap it up on a good note what kind of food are you feeling right now you know big-ass donut crispy cream yeah crispy cream donut yeah I remember like no you like the like the crispy cream donuts yeah they make their donuts fresh good the least she'll show so I hope you enjoyed today's episode I hope today's episode was informative and once again like I said on every episode be safe out there remember in any situation whether it be male or female who's listening if you ever get into a situation at all period fight for your life I don't care if you're 10 years old I don't care if you're 80 years old fighting for your life will increase your chances of surviving now hopefully you don't ever have to use any advice that I give you hopefully but life can sometimes do that but if that is the case fight my children fight rise my children and uh fight the evil until then and we will catch you in the next one uh stay stay hungry my friends stay thirsty and stay healthy bye