“We argued, the vibe was ruined.” Five years later: “I blacked out and killed her.” Two phrases attributed to two men after the murder of two young women. Two separate cases, two femicides, in different places and at different times. What they share, however, is the way the perpetrators allegedly described what happened: in a few ordinary words that suggest a quarrel, a momentary explosion, or a loss of control.
In 2021, it was 26-year-old Garyfalia Psarrakou on the island of Folegandros. In September 2026, it was 25-year-old Penelope in Igoumenitsa. But behind the phrases “the vibe was ruined” and “I blacked out” are two women who lost their lives at the hands of men they had been in a relationship with.
Femicide in Igoumenitsa: “I blacked out and killed her”
25-year-old Penelope was murdered on the night of Sunday, September 20th, in Igoumenitsa, by her 27-year-old ex-partner. The two had broken up approximately one month earlier, and the suspect had traveled from Athens to Igoumenitsa specifically to meet her.
Following his confession, he allegedly claimed that an argument had taken place between them and that he “blacked out.” He also cited a financial dispute, claiming that Penelope owed him €1,900.
The forensic findings so far paint a harrowing picture of the ferocity of the attack. Penelope sustained seven to eight stab wounds to the back, two lacerations to the neck, and a defensive wound on her left arm. After the murder, the 27-year-old initially attempted to present a different version of events to authorities. He called the police and claimed that four hooded individuals had attacked both him and his former partner in an attempted robbery.
The contradictions identified in his account led investigators to probe his story further. He ultimately confessed to the murder and showed police the location where he had discarded the knife.
Femicide in Folegandros: “We argued, the vibe was ruined”
Another case had shaken the country in the summer of 2021. 26-year-old Garyfalia Psarrakou was on holiday in Folegandros with her then-partner when she was murdered by him.
After the crime, the perpetrator was attributed the phrase “We argued, the vibe was ruined” — words he allegedly used to describe the events that preceded the murder.
The case went to trial and the perpetrator was convicted of premeditated homicide. A life sentence was handed down unanimously on appeal for the murder of the 26-year-old on the island of Folegandros.
From “the vibe was ruined” to “I blacked out”
The two femicides are separated by five years, and each case has its own distinct factual and judicial circumstances. Yet the phrases attributed to both perpetrators share a striking linguistic similarity: they compress the narrative of what happened into a single moment of tension or loss of control.
“The vibe was ruined” suggests something that simply went wrong — almost incidentally. “I blacked out” shifts the focus entirely onto a fleeting mental state, implying the act was beyond the perpetrator’s control.
In Garyfalia’s case, the matter has already been adjudicated through the appeals process. In Penelope’s case, the judicial investigation is still ongoing, with the 27-year-old facing charges of premeditated homicide, domestic violence, and weapons law violations.
Five years after Folegandros, yet another femicide is accompanied by a phrase about “blacking out.” And behind the phrases that linger in public discourse, there are two names: Garyfalia and Penelope. Two women whose murders cannot be reduced to “the vibe was ruined” or “I blacked out.”
