Sentenced to 8 years in prison

Steinþór Ein­ars­son has been con­victed­ of murdering Tómas Waag­f­jörð in Ólafs­f­jörður, northwest Iceland, in October 2022.

The verdict was issued in the District Court of North-East Iceland today. Einarsson was sentenced to eight years in prison.

The prosecution requested that Einarsson be sentenced to five years or less in prison. Is the sentence therefore considerably heavier than the prosecution requested.

Einarsson is also required to pay six million ISK in damages to two minors, the children of Waagfjörð, one of whom is entitled to damages of ISK 6.6 million and the other one ISK 4.4 million.

Einarsson’s defense in the case was self-defense. His defence lawyer, Snorri Sturlusson, requested that Steinþór be acquitted of all charges.

The case was heard in the District Court of North-East Iceland in early December. One of the key witnesses in the case, Waagfjörð’s widow, died last year and was therefore unable to testify in person but the recordings of her interrogation were used instead.

Four people were sentenced to custody

Police were called to the night of Monday, October 3 ^rd , last year after a report was made that a man had been stabbed with a knife. The man, Tómas Waagfjörð, was pronounced dead at the scene after attempts to revive him were unsuccessful.

Four people were first detained in connection with the case. Three were later released and the case was investigated by police. On November 7, after more than a month of detention, the suspect, Steinþór Einarsson, was released from custody.

In July of this year, seven months after the incident, the police investigation was completed. On August 24, an indictment was issued in the case and Steinþór was charged with manslaughter. Steinþór denies the charges in the case and, as stated above, is claims self-defense.

Loss of a lot of blood

In the charge it is reported that Einarsson killed Waagfjörð by stabbing him twice in the left side with a knife. Waagfjörð lost a lot of blood and died.

In the defense attorney’s article, however, Einarsson says that Tóm­as attacked Steinþór with a knife and tried to kill him. Waagfjörð first stabb­ed Einarsson in the cheek and later in the thigh. When Einarsson tried to defend himself, Waagfjörð fell on the knife and received the stabb­ings that later led to his death.

The blade is 20 centimeters long

Einarsson’s defence lawyer says in the article that in order to be convicted of manslaughter, the perpetrator’s intent must be to kill the individual, or it must be clear that the act is more likely than not to cause death.

Einarsson was only defending himself against Waagfjörð’s attack and he himself was not armed. To demonstrate a direct intent, the prosecution must demonstrate that Einarsson made it clear in his defence that those defences were likely to cause death.

Asked for Waagfjörð to be removed

It has been stated that the day before the incident took place, Waagfjörð’s wife called the police and asked that he be removed from the house where they were in. Waagfjörð refused to comply with the police request.

Then Einarsson and another man, whom they know, encouraged her to come over to their house, three blocks away. The woman did so and planned to stay there.

Waagfjörð tried to get her back to him by telephone. When it didn’t work, his uncle went over and said he was here to get her. Then he said she was drunk and was going to sleep.

Waagfjörð went over himself and intended to pick her up. Then she opened for him and let him in. Waagfjörð spoke with both his wife and Einarsson in the kitchen.

He tried to convince her to come back home with him but she didn't want to. Einarsson was getting tired of Waagfjörð and told him to leave.

Tensions between them arose with the aforementioned consequences, but Waagfjörð died of stab wounds.