As the investigating judge and prosecutor were weighing whether the 41-year-old would be remanded in custody for the killing of the 42-year-old rescue worker in Syros, the couple continued to insist they had acted in self-defense. The 30-year-old woman was released under restrictive conditions. The man’s testimony at the island’s courthouse elaborated on his already established position, while the victim’s family, devastated, attended her funeral on Tuesday, July 28. The couple’s defense attorneys presented video footage which, according to their claims, shows something crucial: that the 42-year-old had already been stabbed by the time she exited the house. They also pointed to the jacket she was wearing during the break-in as further evidence, in an effort to undermine the victim’s family’s assertion that it was an unprovoked attack.
Syros: “She entered because she heard no voices inside”
In his testimony, the 41-year-old claimed he stabbed the 42-year-old woman — fatally, as it turned out — with the knife he was using at that moment to cut cheese. He further alleged that the rescue worker had targeted his partner. He reportedly stated that “when the 42-year-old collapsed a few meters from the house, I ran to her and pulled back her hood.” He initially mistook her for an acquaintance named Despoina, but soon realized it was the 42-year-old rescue worker and was shocked.
According to cyclades24.gr, the 41-year-old told the investigating judge and prosecutor the following: “I had just come home and my partner had prepared food for me. I was cutting cheese at that moment when the 42-year-old arrived at the house. She thought my partner was home alone. She pressed her ear against the door to listen for what was going on inside, but since I was eating quietly, she heard no conversation. She then rang the doorbell. My partner slightly opened the door and the woman pushed her way in forcefully. She made a move with a knife toward my partner’s stomach, then began swinging it toward me, attempting to slash my throat. At that point, I twisted my hand and struck her from behind.”
