Kriti Mehrotra
As a documentary series revolving around 3 individuals as they recount their memories encompassing a series of crimes that shook their small corner of Zealand, Denmark, we get a unique original. Netflix’s Christian Dyekjær-directed ‘A Friend, a Murderer’ actually delves deep into the tale of convicted predator Philip Patrick Westh through the eyes of not his victims, but his former loved ones. Among them were his best friend of nearly 16 years, Nichlas Kruse, and Nichlas’ now-partner, Kiri Kamilla Olsen, whose entire world turned upside down once they learned of his truth.
Kiri Olsen and Nichlas Kruse Once Trusted Philip Patrick Westh With Their Lives
Nichlar Kruse first met Philip Patrick Westh around the fall of 2007 during their first year of high school. They soon developed an unwavering friendship. As per the show, the former still remembers that the latter was subject to quite a bit of severe bullying at the time owing to his lanky physique, teeth issues, and reserved personality. However, he claims he never really cared about these aspects because he personally found him very funny, nerdy, as well as warm, especially after they found common ground in playing cards. According to Nichlas, Philip allegedly even struggled with addiction during his teenage years, yet he still stood by him since he knew his friend was working hard towards being okay.
Nichlas said Philip repaid the favor as adults by unwaveringly supporting him in every way following his diagnosis of testicular cancer sometime in the 2010s. He claimed his shy friend didn’t hesitate to take leave from work to drive him to appointments, chemotherapy, scans, as well as surgeries, never missing a single day of his road to recovery. Therefore, by the time the late 2010s rolled around, Nichlas and Philip had moved in together into a cozy 2-bedroom home in Vemmelev in South-West Zealand, Denmark. Not long after, a woman named Kiri Kamilla Olsen also came into the picture, as she had started officially dating the former within a few weeks of knowing him in 2020. She eventually befriended Philip, too, formally moved in, and grew to really care about him. Soon, she embraced all hangout opportunities even after he moved out around December 2021.
Kiri Olsen and Nichlas Kruse Testified Against Philip During His Criminal Trial
Kiri and Nichlas reportedly had plans to spend time with Philip over the weekend in mid-April 2023, but he canceled at the last minute, claiming he would be visiting his sister in a nearby town. However, he never did so; instead, at 2:48 pm on April 16, he was arrested at his Svenstrup residence for having kidnapped, assaulted, raped, and attempted to kill a 13-year-old girl. The young teenager, who had been reported missing 27 hours prior, was reportedly recovered, bound, gagged, and naked under his bed, following which she bravely chose to speak with police. Philip’s arrest sparked a search of his home and vehicle, which yielded nearly 150 evidence items that later also connected him to the 2016 murder of Emilie Meng and a 2022 attempted assault.
Kiri and Nichlas were both baffled upon hearing the news as they couldn’t believe a man they trusted wholeheartedly could be such a “monster,” but the mountain of evidence was undeniable. The emotions that struck them in the time to follow were a blend of anger, confusion, grief, and shock, but he ultimately managed to contact officials himself to relay some additional news. Nichlas came forward to detectives as not only Philip’s best friend/former roommate but also the 13-year-old’s former homeroom teacher, which raised questions before he was cleared of any suspicion.
In the end, Nichlas and Kiri both testified during his 2024 trial, with the former detailing their close bond as well as how he never spoke to him about relationships under the assumption he was asexual. He further brought up the fact that he now knows they had spent time together the day Emilie was killed, her remains were found months later, and a 15-year-old was almost attacked in 2022. His girlfriend, Kiri, added they had announced the happy news of their pregnancy to him that fateful 2022 evening – unaware of his failed attempt with the teenager – so they had chalked up his unenthusiasm as a personality quirk.
Kiri Olsen and Nichlas Kruse Are Doing Their Best to Move Forward in Life
In the aftermath of Philips’ conviction in all 3 cases and his sentence of life in prison, Kiri and Nichlas really struggled with figuring out if any connection they shared with him was even real or not. It was to such an extent that the latter even developed severe anxiety as well as trust issues, according to his own account in the aforementioned original production, which continue to persist. Since then, the couple has exchanged a few letters with the convict after much thought, only to have now decided to cut all ties with him because they know nothing good can come of it. “The big question is whether our friendship was ever real,” Nichlas stated in an interview with Ude og Hjemme Magazine. “I actually think it was.”
Nichlas added, “Philip and I could sit on the couch for three or four hours and watch TV or talk about work, or that he should have painted the house. But we never talked deeper than that. With the knowledge I have today about his (schizoid) personality disorder, I can see that I offered him a friendship he could be in. I never demanded more from him. At the same time, I was his entry point into the real world… In addition, we would also like to know if it helped him that we lived together, that things got worse after that. There was peace while we lived together.” To make sense of all these questions, their own feelings, and to share their story with the world, the couple wrote a book titled ‘Korsør 04:07,’ which was published in March 2025.
The idea of it came to Kiri and Nichlas after the former had started journaling while heavily pregnant with their first child, just to get all her thoughts out, something she had never done before. So, they eventually realized writing a memoir of their experiences in a proper order could be a form of therapy for them, and they recently indicated they were right. They claim the book has enabled them to feel a lot more understood, especially as they continue to live in the same Vemmelev home they once shared with Philip. However, the couple’s top priority today appears to be simply doing their best to provide their two young children with the best possible opportunities in life down the line. We say children because they are parents to a nearly 3-year-old daughter named Nellie, who sadly has Type 1 Diabetes, and a son named Liam, whom they welcomed in June 2025. On a more professional level, while Kiri is a trained gourmet butcher, Nichlas is a professional educator as they continue to build a future together.
Read More: Emilie Meng Murder: Where is Philip Patrick Westh Now?
