The 42-year-old Norwegian who's charged with the attempted rape and murder of 23-year-old nursing student Anne Slåtten is appealing an earlier conviction in a lower court.
Slåtten was found strangled in a forested area in the town of Førde last June. The 42-year-old, who lives in a neighboring township, was sentenced to 13 years in prison largely on the basis of DNA evidence.
He maintains his innocence, however, and appealed his case to a higher court in Bergen.
In the other case, the defendant has confessed to killing 19-year-old Hedda Karterudseter in Sogndal last October. He's also charged with raping Karterudseter, whose body was found in her own dormitory room at a Sogndal college.
The defendant, originally from Somalia, fled the country right after the murder. He was arrested in The Netherlands after two months on the run. He faces a prison term of 15 to 17 years.
