Sentenced to 16 Years in Prison

This morning, Angjelin Sterkaj was sentenced to 16 years in prison for the murder of Armando Beqirai, an Albanian citizen in his 30s, shot multiple times in front of his home on the street Rauðagerði, Reykjavík, February 13, mbl.is reports.

The case, commonly referred to as the Rauðagerði Case , was a crime that shook Icelandic society, for it “ ha[d] all the characteristics of an execution in a most typical Reykjavík neighborhood ,” as a criminologist described it.

The other three people charged — two men and a woman — have been acquitted of the prosecution’s charges. They were charged with being accomplices to the crime.

The sentence was pronounced in the Reykjavík District Court. Sterkaj was not present in the court room, but he had previously confessed to killing Beqirai, claiming he did so in self-defense.

In addition to the prison sentence, Sterkaj must pay Beqirai’s widow, their two children and Beqirai’s parents various amounts in damages.

The case was quite comprehensive. The police report counted about 2,000 pages, and dozens of witnesses appeared before a judge in the case.