The trial for the murder of Thanasis Kalogeropoulos continued today at Limassol’s Permanent Criminal Court with new eyewitnesses and video evidence from the crime scene.
The murder took place on October 30, 2023 in a car park next to a seaside restaurant in Limassol.
The first witness, Deputy Police Officer Andreas Hatzikkos from Limassol’s Crime Investigation Department, described arriving at the murder scene, the actions he took with colleagues, and a six-second video he received from an eyewitness.
Hatzikkos described the video as showing two perpetrators fleeing the murder scene in their vehicle from a distance. The video, which was played in court, shows a Mazda Demio arriving and departing seconds later.
Defence lawyers for the first three defendants declined to question the witness, whilst the fourth defendant’s lawyer questioned how Hatzikkos obtained the video evidence.
The officer explained he received the video via WhatsApp during on-site examinations. “During our investigation, we identified this person who told me: ‘I saw what happened and recorded a video with my mobile’,” Hatzikkos testified.
When asked if investigators took possession of the eyewitness’s mobile phone, Hatzikkos said they did not, but insisted the six-second video was unaltered and transferred directly to a USB drive and police computer.
The defence lawyer suggested Hatzikkos’s handling of the video evidence was improper for an investigator, to which the officer responded: “That is your opinion”.
The eyewitness who recorded the footage then testified, reading from his statement: “I arrived first at the office opposite the seaside restaurant around 8:20. After opening the entrance door and walking slightly inward, I heard about 6-7 gunshots. I hid behind a column at work. I saw a man in a black uniform holding a large weapon, then getting into the back seat. The shots were fired one by one”.
The witness told the court he was in shock, frightened and “froze” after what he experienced. When asked if he recognised anyone, he said no.
He explained he recorded the video to help police, whom he contacted by phone. The witness added that the perpetrator ran away and entered the vehicle.
He stated he recorded the video around 8:25 and sent it to Officer Hatzikkos at 9:37, confirming the footage was not edited.
During cross-examination, the witness was questioned about his arrival time at work and whether he intended to post the video on social media, which he denied.
The fourth defendant’s lawyer requested the witness’s mobile phone be submitted as evidence, but the witness refused.
The trial continues after a requested recess.
Read more:
