Limassol, Cyprus. A Limassol criminal court on Wednesday found all four defendants in the case of the murder of Thanasis Kalogeropoulos guilty. The court said it found the defendants guilty “prima facie,” with individual responsibilities and punishment severity to be decided at later hearings.
Court finding and charges
The defendants, aged 46, 44, 24, and 23, face a total of 11 charges, with the most severe being premeditated murder. If any or all are found guilty of premeditated murder, they will serve a mandatory life sentence.
The 24-year-old also faces a charge of aiding and abetting the murder.
Next stage of trial and sentencing timeline
Sentencing will take place at the end of the next stage of the trial, with the first hearing of that stage scheduled for February 24.
Evidence presented to the court
The court said closed-circuit camera footage, telecommunications data, information stored on mobile phones, and other similar evidence had been gathered against the four defendants.
It added that evidence against each defendant was gathered separately and that none of the evidence compiled against one defendant contradicted evidence compiled against another.
The court said 75 witnesses testified and 555 pieces of evidence were submitted during the trial.
Background of the killing
Kalogeropoulos was shot and killed at the end of October 2023 while on his way to his morning swim in Limassol. A post-mortem found that he had been shot 10 times.
He was described as “well known to authorities,” a phrase commonly used by police to indicate previous involvement in criminal activity.
What details will you be watching for when the next stage of the trial begins on February 24?