The Orderud case, also known as the Orderud murder case, refers to a high-profile murder case in Norway that occurred in 1999. On May 22, 1999, three members of the Orderud family, Kristian Orderud, his wife Marie, and Marie's elderly parents, were found shot to death at their farm in Sørum, Norway.
The investigation into the murders was extensive and complex, involving multiple suspects and theories. In 2001, four people, including Kristin Kirkemo, her boyfriend Lars Grønnerød, and two acquaintances, were arrested and charged with the murders. They were accused of killing the family as part of a plot to inherit the farm and its assets.
The trial lasted for several years, and the case became one of the most high-profile murder trials in Norwegian history. In 2004, all four defendants were found guilty of the murders and sentenced to 21 years in prison each. However, the verdict was later appealed, and in 2007, the Norwegian Supreme Court ordered a retrial, citing flaws in the police investigation and errors in the legal process.
In the retrial, which lasted from 2008 to 2011, only two of the defendants, Kristin Kirkemo and Lars Grønnerød, were convicted of the murders. They were both sentenced to 21 years in prison. The other two defendants were acquitted.
The Orderud case remains one of the most controversial murder cases in Norwegian history, with many questions still surrounding the events that led to the murders and the subsequent investigation and trials.