John Birkedal

John Birkedal is a police superintendent with ties to both Christian Habersaat and Carl Mørck. His brief appearances establish him as a local officer who can supply context about Habersaat’s life and direct Carl toward the investigator responsible for the old hit-and-run case.

Identity and Introduction

Birkedal was born on the island and had known Habersaat long before the police commissioner took office. He was among only three people from the station who attended Habersaat’s retirement reception, alongside the commissioner and a police-union representative. Introduced to Carl and Assad there, he offers condolences before recognizing Carl, whom Carl cannot immediately place.

Connection to Carl Mørck

Birkedal recalls that he was one year below Carl at the police academy on Amager Island. The two had played tennis, and Birkedal remembers winning three matches in a row before Carl stopped playing. Carl attempts to explain the departure by mentioning a possibly injured ankle, but admits no recollection of the episode. The exchange gives their prior acquaintance an uneven quality: Birkedal remembers the shared past clearly, while Carl has apparently buried it.

Knowledge of Habersaat and the Case

Birkedal describes Habersaat as a capable uniformed officer whose depression had lasted for years, though it was not especially noticeable to colleagues in their daily work. He distinguishes that public working life from Habersaat’s circumstances at home in Listed: Habersaat was divorced, lived alone, and had become intensely bitter over an old case that he made his life’s work despite not serving in criminal investigation. The case concerned a hit-and-run that some considered trivial, but Birkedal stresses that a young girl had died.

When Carl asks about Bjarke Habersaat’s home and possible reasons for his suicide, Birkedal reports finding no explanation. The computer contained a large collection of pornographic images of a homosexual nature and old games, but nothing he identifies as a motive. When Carl seeks more specific information about the original case, Birkedal directs him to Jonas Ravnå, the officer responsible at the time. He describes Ravnå as hardworking and competent, and asks Carl to approach him gently. Birkedal thus serves as a link between Habersaat’s unresolved fixation and the police officer who can speak directly to the case’s earlier handling.