The Orderud Case: Triple Murder and an Inheritance Dispute

On May 22, 1999, Anne Orderud Paust, Marie Orderud, and Kristian Orderud were shot and killed at the family farm Orderudgården in Sørum, Akershus, Norway. Kristian Orderud was shot while lying in his bed. The three victims were members of the same family.

Investigators quickly noted that nothing had been stolen from the farm, ruling out theft as a motive. This detail proved significant in directing the investigation and ultimately pointed toward those closest to the victims.

The Convicted

Four people were eventually convicted for their roles in the murders.

Per Kristian Orderud was found guilty of complicity in premeditated murder and sentenced to 21 years in prison. As a consequence of his conviction, he also forfeited his inheritance rights to the farm. His appeal ruling was handed down on April 5, 2002.

Veronica Orderud was likewise found guilty and sentenced to 21 years in prison.

Kristin Kirkemo was convicted and sentenced to 16 years in prison, a sentence confirmed on appeal on April 5, 2002.

Lars Grønnerød was originally sentenced to 2.5 years in prison for illegal possession of firearms. On appeal, however, his sentence was significantly increased to 18 years.

The Trial

The original verdicts were handed down on June 22, 2001. The case subsequently went to appeal, where most sentences were either upheld or revised, with the appeal ruling issued on April 5, 2002.

The Orderud case drew considerable premeditated murder attention in Norwegian media due to the nature of the killings and the relationships between those involved. It was a case that combined family crime with financial motives and a bitter inheritance dispute, making it one of the most closely followed Norwegian true crime cases of its era.