district court of ravnkær case no. 2026-r-0041 — the state v. jens møller

direct examination of dr. sofie lind, forensic pathologist, rigshospitalet examining attorney: prosecutor n. falk date: 3 february 2026

falk: dr. lind, would you state your qualifications for the court.

lind: i’m a forensic pathologist at rigshospitalet. i’ve held that position for eleven years. before that, i completed my residency at odense universitetshospital. i’ve conducted approximately two thousand post-mortem examinations, and i’ve testified as an expert witness in over sixty criminal cases.

falk: and you performed the autopsy on erik bredahl on 15 january of this year?

lind: i did.

falk: please describe your findings regarding cause of death.

lind: the cause of death was blunt force trauma consistent with a fall from a significant height — approximately twelve meters, based on the silo dimensions provided by the investigators. mr. bredahl sustained fractures to the occipital bone of the skull, the cervical vertebrae at c3 and c4, six ribs on the left side, and the left femur. there was extensive internal hemorrhaging. death would have been near-instantaneous.

falk: near-instantaneous. so he did not suffer.

lind: that is not quite what i said. he would have lost consciousness almost immediately upon impact. whether there was a moment of awareness during the fall itself, i cannot say.

falk: understood. dr. lind, what was mr. bredahl’s blood alcohol content at the time of death?

lind: 0.14. that is a substantial level of intoxication. to put it in context for the court, the legal limit for driving in denmark is 0.05. mr. bredahl was nearly three times that.

falk: and can you describe the effects of that level of intoxication?

lind: at 0.14, a person would experience significant impairment to motor coordination, balance, reaction time, and judgment. they would likely be visibly unsteady. speech might be slurred. it varies with individual tolerance, of course, but the impairment would be meaningful.

falk: were you able to determine what mr. bredahl had consumed?

lind: from the stomach contents, his last meal was approximately four to five hours before death. in terms of alcohol, the pattern was consistent with two to three beers consumed earlier in the evening and a substantial quantity of akvavit within the last one to two hours before death. the akvavit accounts for the bulk of the blood alcohol level.

falk: one to two hours before death. so the heavy drinking occurred relatively close to the time of the fall.

lind: that is correct.

falk: dr. lind, i’d like to turn to the bruises found on mr. bredahl’s forearms. please describe them for the court.

lind: mr. bredahl had bilateral bruising on both forearms. that is, bruises on both the left and right arms. based on the degree of color development and tissue response, i estimated them to be approximately four to six hours old at the time of death.

falk: four to six hours. meaning they were sustained that same evening.

lind: yes. sometime between roughly 16:00 and 18:00 on 14 january, though i should note that estimation of bruise age is imprecise. it could be somewhat outside that window.

falk: can you describe the pattern of the bruising.

lind: the bruises were approximately parallel on opposite sides of each forearm. there were four to five distinct marks on the exterior of each forearm and corresponding marks on the interior aspects.

falk: and is that pattern consistent with someone gripping mr. bredahl’s arms?

lind: it is consistent with that, yes. the parallel placement on opposite sides of the forearm would correspond to fingers gripping around the arm — thumb on one side, fingers on the other.

falk: in your professional experience, is this a pattern you associate with defensive injuries? with a struggle?

lind: i have seen this pattern in cases involving physical altercations, yes. someone being grabbed, held, restrained.

falk: thank you. now — is there any alternative explanation for these bruises?

lind: there is. the bruising could also be consistent with impact during a fall — for example, if mr. bredahl’s forearms struck the railing or the interior wall of the silo as he fell. a person falling would instinctively extend their arms, and striking a surface could produce bruising.

falk: but the parallel pattern — the marks on opposite sides of the forearm. would a fall produce that specific pattern?

lind: it would be less typical for a fall. a fall would more commonly produce bruising on one aspect of the forearm — the point of impact. the bilateral, opposing pattern is more characteristic of gripping. however, i want to be clear: i cannot exclude the possibility of fall-related bruising. a tumbling fall involving contact with multiple surfaces could, in theory, produce marks on multiple sides of the arm.

falk: but in your professional opinion, which explanation is more consistent with the evidence?

lind: the pattern is slightly more consistent with grip marks than with fall impact. but i must emphasize the word slightly. i would not characterize this as a definitive finding.

falk: understood. you are being precise. the court appreciates that. dr. lind, were there any other injuries of note?

lind: no defensive wounds on mr. bredahl’s hands. no skin or tissue under his fingernails. no injuries to suggest he struck another person. the injuries are limited to the forearm bruising and the catastrophic fall trauma.

falk: no scratches, no torn clothing?

lind: no. his clothing was consistent with a fall — dirt, abrasion marks on the back and left side. nothing consistent with a physical fight.

falk: dr. lind, one final area. you noted the skull fracture was to the occipital bone. that is the back of the skull, correct?

lind: correct.

falk: what does that indicate about how mr. bredahl landed?

lind: it indicates he struck the ground with the back of his head as the primary point of cranial impact. this is consistent with a backward fall — someone falling with their back toward the ground.

falk: as if he were facing the platform when he went over.

lind: that is one interpretation. a person stumbling backward over a broken railing would produce the same pattern. i can speak to the direction of impact. i cannot reconstruct the precise body mechanics of how he came to fall.

falk: of course. but he was facing the platform — facing whoever or whatever was on that platform — when he went over.

lind: the skull fracture is consistent with that, yes.

falk: no further questions.

[end of direct examination — witness remains for cross-examination]