Wangen admitted to the assisted suicide act in a TV 2 documentary series 'Bak fasaden', according to officials. Swedish police arrested him and charged him with murder; the case has been transferred to Norway, where Wangen denies criminal guilt for the murder charge.
Wangen has been a public figure in the assisted dying debate, writing letters, hosting TV shows, and holding positions in voluntary organizations. He received a prize from the Association for the Right to a Dignified Death, later withdrawn. In 1987, court-appointed experts considered him mildly intellectually disabled, but in 2024 experts found his IQ significantly below average but far from intellectual disability. The court found him criminally sane, and Swedish forensic psychiatrists reached the same conclusion. The court stated: "The court finds that the case got out of hand for Wangen, and that he felt entitled to carry out the actions he did. In doing so, he also risked exploiting people in very vulnerable situations."
The court finds that the case got out of hand for Wangen, and that he felt entitled to carry out the actions he did. In doing so, he also risked exploiting people in very vulnerable situations.