At 4 AM, the marathon testimony procedure of two young men accused of the double murder in Finikounda, Messinia on the evening of October 5th was completed. With the unanimous agreement of the investigative judge and prosecutor, the two 22-year-olds were ordered into pre-trial detention, as they failed to “convince” authorities of their innocence with their explanations. The two defendants successively testified for 16 hours, presenting their own “truths” while answering rapid-fire questions.
Finikounda: What the alleged mastermind claimed
The 22-year-old who, according to the indictment, was the person who planned the attack, arrived at the Kalamata Court building just after eight o’clock on Sunday evening. Like his co-defendant, he remained for several hours in the investigative judge’s office, completing his testimony shortly after 2:30 AM. He then answered successive questions before the prosecutor. This individual is of particular interest, since although he surrendered to authorities on Tuesday morning, his statements to police contain significant gaps.
According to journalistic sources, the 22-year-old insisted he was a victim of sexual abuse during summer 2022 at the Finikounda campsite by the murdered co-owner of the business. He admitted to planning the extortion attempt which took a negative turn that he had not planned. He insisted, according to the same sources, that his accomplice held the weapon and was the person who pulled the trigger six times, killing the two men while attempting to murder the co-owner’s nephew as well.
The investigative judge appears to have pressed him extensively on his escape route from Finikounda. It should be noted that the defendant had told police he left along the coast, sometimes swimming and sometimes walking, managing after several hours to reach Kalamata, from where he finally left on an express KTEL Kalamata bus route. The defendant focused extensively on Asperger’s syndrome, which he claims to suffer from, and maintained that documents exist confirming his chronic mental health condition. According to journalistic sources, the young man was questioned about the guitar case he allegedly carried on his back, which was never found, as well as other issues characterized as “extremely interesting but simultaneously extremely unclear.”
His lawyer, Charalambos Lykoydis, visibly exhausted upon leaving the Kalamata Court building, stated to parapolitika.gr: “This first round of defendant testimonies has concluded. The investigation remains open, each defendant presented their own claims regarding their participation in the acts attributed to them, and they were ordered into temporary detention. My client, from the moment he voluntarily surrendered, admitted to participating in the conspiracy but denies the physical perpetration attributed to the other defendant.”
What the alleged killer claimed
For six hours, from two in the afternoon, the 22-year-old accused by authorities of the double murder answered the investigative judge’s questions. He initially testified with a written statement, submitting his testimony in writing and then answering a “barrage” of clarifying questions. Where was he at the time of the murder, how did he escape, where is the white scooter he used to return to Athens, where is the murder weapon.
“I didn’t shoot, I didn’t plan the crime. I had no reason to do it. My friend entered the campsite. I then took the motorcycle and returned to Athens,” stated among other things, according to journalistic sources, the 22-year-old accused of pulling the trigger five times and killing the campsite co-owner and the business supervisor.
In statements to parapolitika.gr, his lawyer Dimitris Gkavelas emphasized after the procedure: “A truly marathon testimony, there was a penetrating examination by the investigative judge, and the client tried to report the actual events as he experienced them. He maintains he is not the physical perpetrator. He didn’t point to someone else, however he claimed the co-defendant is the one who entered the campsite. The identification of my client as a defendant by the nephew of the murdered surveyor is mistaken. His testimony is full of inaccuracies.”
According to the eyewitness and attempted murder victim’s testimony, the clothes worn by the alleged mastermind were identified, however he recognized the face of his client as the executor, the defense lawyer maintained during the procedure. Mr. Gkavelas requested a confrontational examination of the two witnesses to reveal the actual facts.
The two 22-year-olds may be transferred to prison as early as today.
