The Limassol District Court continued hearings today on the high-profile murder case of Thanasis Kalogeropoulos, with deliberations focusing on the detention of three of the four accused.
The decision has been deferred to November 30.
Representing the accused, defence lawyers challenged the Police’s lack of direct evidence linking their clients to the alleged crimes. They argued for their release pending the trial set for January 23, 2024, by the Permanent Criminal Court. The prosecution, however, underscored the gravity of the charges, including premeditated murder, which carries a life sentence.
Thanasis Kalogeropoulos, 54, was gunned down by two men, in broad daylight near Yermasoyia beach on October 30.
Key points of contention revolved around the roles and involvement of the defendants, aged 44, 22, and 21, in the murder plot.
Prosecutors pointed to a mix of physical evidence, such as DNA on a cartridge and clothes linking the 41-year-old defendant to the crime scene, and testimonial evidence, including a written statement implicating him in showcasing a Kalashnikov and a pistol through a video call. The man reportedly lived and planned the murder in a villa in Timi, Paphos owned by the 44-year-old.
The 44-year-old suspect, the villa’s owner, alleged to have provided the murder plot’s base, is accused of contradicting his alibi and facilitating the crime. It was also noted that he paid €6,000 per month to live elsewhere, and left with his car and dog in the early hours after the murder, contradicting his claims of spending the entire night at nightclubs.
Meanwhile, the 22-year-old defendant is implicated in aiding the escape of an alleged accomplice. His vehicle was allegedly recorded coming and going from the villa in the preceding days. According to another testimony, the defendant needed money for fuel on the day of the murder to assist the 21-year-old alleged second executor.
Regarding the 21-year-old, as mentioned by the prosecutor, there is a written statement identifying the young man as the one who drove the motorcycle and later moved it to the arson site on 29/10. Also, the 21-year-old is said to have been picked up by the 41-year-old suspect in the early hours after the murder, as the latter’s mobile signal was emitted from the vicinity of his residence.
