Bodom trial witness saw legs and a male figure
Statement seen as benefitting defence most of all
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At the Bodom Lake triple murder trial on Thursday, the proceedings of the afternoon focused on the statements of one witness - Heikki Salonen, who came to Espoo District Court from Kuopio to relate his version of events from 45 years ago.
Salonen is the first of about 30 witnesses. His testimony is seen mainly to benefit the case of the defendant, Nils Gustafsson, who is accused of the murder of three friends during a camping trip at Bodom Lake in 1960. Salonen’s story tends to confirm the notion that Gustafsson had been lying on top of the collapsed tent while an unknown man walked past.
At the time of the events, Salonen was a 16-year-old boy who was on an early morning bird-watching expedition with a friend on the south shore of the lake. At about six in the morning they happened to arrive at the same area where something had happened. They were about ten metres away from the scene.
"First we noticed the motorcycles - we were of the age that we were interested in them", he said.
They also saw the collapsed tent and the legs of a man on top of it. He said that he saw about one third of the tent, because the rest of it was obscured by a tree and the motorcycles.
"My impression was that they were the legs of a man, because dark trousers were on, and I seem to recall that the shoes were on his feet.
The boys stopped.
"I was left with the impression that someone was sleeping there."
In the background Salonen saw another figure walking down to the lake. He saw the figure for just a few seconds, before he disappeared behind the trees. Salonen thought at the time that he had gone to get coffee water, or to wash.
Salonen’s friend Kalevi Haapalainen would have wanted to take a closer look at the motorcycles, but Salonen did not want to disturb the campers.
When he was questioned in 1960, Salonen did not mention the shoes. Now he said that he had the impression that the shoes were on. As for the clothing, 45 years ago he said that the clothes were dark. Now he does not remember the colour.
The defence is expected to put forward the notion that the legs that Heikki Salonen saw were those of Gustafsson, and that the walking figure was the real killer. The prosecution theory is that the legs were those of one of the victims, and that the figure on the early morning stroll was Gustafsson.
Salonen is the first of about 30 witnesses. His testimony is seen mainly to benefit the case of the defendant, Nils Gustafsson, who is accused of the murder of three friends during a camping trip at Bodom Lake in 1960. Salonen’s story tends to confirm the notion that Gustafsson had been lying on top of the collapsed tent while an unknown man walked past.
At the time of the events, Salonen was a 16-year-old boy who was on an early morning bird-watching expedition with a friend on the south shore of the lake. At about six in the morning they happened to arrive at the same area where something had happened. They were about ten metres away from the scene.
"First we noticed the motorcycles - we were of the age that we were interested in them", he said.
They also saw the collapsed tent and the legs of a man on top of it. He said that he saw about one third of the tent, because the rest of it was obscured by a tree and the motorcycles.
"My impression was that they were the legs of a man, because dark trousers were on, and I seem to recall that the shoes were on his feet.
The boys stopped.
"I was left with the impression that someone was sleeping there."
In the background Salonen saw another figure walking down to the lake. He saw the figure for just a few seconds, before he disappeared behind the trees. Salonen thought at the time that he had gone to get coffee water, or to wash.
Salonen’s friend Kalevi Haapalainen would have wanted to take a closer look at the motorcycles, but Salonen did not want to disturb the campers.
When he was questioned in 1960, Salonen did not mention the shoes. Now he said that he had the impression that the shoes were on. As for the clothing, 45 years ago he said that the clothes were dark. Now he does not remember the colour.
The defence is expected to put forward the notion that the legs that Heikki Salonen saw were those of Gustafsson, and that the walking figure was the real killer. The prosecution theory is that the legs were those of one of the victims, and that the figure on the early morning stroll was Gustafsson.
Helsingin Sanomat