About This Episode
Three Norwegian hosts have created a podcast dedicated to examining some of the country's most perplexing criminal cases. AVHØRT—which translates to "interrogated"—promises to reveal what the producers call "Norway's darkest court cases," diving deep into real-life stories that have tested the nation's justice system.
The podcast, hosted by Stein Morten Lier, Helge Moldver, and Lars Christian Nygaardstrand, takes listeners through investigations marked by complexity, controversy, and questions about how justice was ultimately served. Each episode examines cases that remain subjects of significant debate among legal professionals, journalists, and the public.
One of the podcast's most prominent episodes focuses on the case of Arnfinn Nesset, a nursing home leader in Orkdal, Norway. In 1983, Nesset was convicted of poisoning and killing 22 elderly patients using Curacit, a muscle relaxant, during the late 1970s. The case became one of Norway's most scrutinized criminal convictions—not because guilt was obvious, but because it raised serious questions about the investigation and confession process.
Nesset's confession alone makes the case remarkable. He initially confessed to 31 murders, a number that police believed could be even higher. Yet the case is haunted by doubts. The investigation has been criticized for flaws, the confessions for being questionable, and the for containing contradictions. Legal experts have debated whether Nesset represents a genuine or whether the case itself is a miscarriage of justice—a term Norwegian legal scholars call "justismord."