The 1990 homicide
Hanne With was found killed in her apartment on Fensmarkgade in Copenhagen's Nørrebro district during the night of January 1, 1990. Copenhagen Police continued to revisit the case over the following decades as forensic methods improved, but no person was charged for more than 30 years.
The long interval is central to understanding the case. Investigators retained physical evidence from the apartment and from Hanne's clothing. That preservation later made it possible to apply techniques that did not exist when the homicide occurred.
A cold case revisited through DNA
By 2024, investigators were focusing closely on biological material recovered from Hanne's clothing. The Department of Forensic Genetics at the University of Copenhagen's forensic institute performed what Danish police describe as a familial search: instead of looking only for a direct match to the unknown DNA profile, the search looked for a close relative of the unknown contributor among profiles already lawfully held in the police DNA register.
That distinction matters. Copenhagen Police explicitly said this was not commercial genetic genealogy. No international consumer genealogy database was used in the Hanne With investigation. The police-register search pointed toward a close relative of a person already represented in the Danish system, allowing investigators to narrow the field.
Arrest and confirmation
Police arrested a 53-year-old man on February 6, 2024. After his arrest, investigators obtained his own DNA profile. Copenhagen Police reported that subsequent comparison showed a very strong match between his DNA and biological material recovered from Hanne's clothing. Prosecutors later said the same profile also matched material from an antenna cable in the apartment.
The case did not rest on DNA alone. Police also preserved a footprint from the apartment. At trial, forensic examination found that the print matched the defendant's foot. Prosecutors described the combination of technical evidence as central to the case.
Charge and trial
On April 9, 2024, Copenhagen Police announced that prosecutors had charged the then 54-year-old defendant with Hanne With's murder. The prosecution said the investigation had continued after the arrest with additional forensic work and witness inquiries, and that the combined evidence was strong enough to proceed to trial.
The Copenhagen City Court found him guilty on July 10, 2024, 34 years after the homicide. He was sentenced to 11 years and 6 months in prison. Copenhagen Police described the judgment as a provisional criminal-law endpoint after decades of investigation.
What the evidence established
The 2024 conviction established criminal responsibility for Hanne With's murder. The public police summaries emphasize the DNA evidence and footprint. This file does not add a motive that the available primary-source summaries do not establish, and it does not convert speculation about the decades-long gap into fact.
The case also illustrates why the exact forensic method should be described accurately. Familial searching within a police DNA register can identify a close relative of an unknown contributor. Genetic genealogy, by contrast, involves broader genealogical comparison, often using commercial databases. Danish police expressly stated that the latter method had not been used in this investigation.
Timeline
January 1, 1990: Hanne With, 23, is found killed in her apartment on Fensmarkgade in Copenhagen.
1990–2023: Copenhagen Police periodically revisit the unsolved homicide as investigative and forensic methods develop.
February 2024: a familial search in the police DNA register points investigators toward a close relative; police arrest a 53-year-old man on February 6.
February 7, 2024: police publicly announce the arrest and DNA breakthrough.
April 9, 2024: prosecutors announce a murder charge after additional forensic and witness work.
July 10, 2024: Copenhagen City Court finds the defendant guilty and sentences him to 11 years and 6 months.
Current status
The case is solved and adjudicated at trial level. The defendant was convicted in July 2024. In this review, no later authoritative appellate ruling was located that displaced that judgment, so this file reports the confirmed 2024 court outcome without inventing a later procedural step.