Chania, Greece. A 43-year-old man has confessed to killing his 45-year-old landlady inside her home in a village outside Chania in Crete on May 30, according to authorities. Police said the investigation is continuing, with an official statement expected on the motive, the circumstances of the killing and the evidence gathered in the case.
Confession and police findings
The man, described as a Scopjan national who has been living and working permanently on the island for the past couple of decades, was arrested yesterday and confessed to the killing in the early hours.
Police said he buried the woman’s body in a field he owned, five kilometres from the house. The body was found this morning in a state of advanced decomposition, with stab wounds to the torso and a head wound caused by a blunt instrument.
Account of the killing
The 43-year-old, who had been renting the house for four years, said he argued with the victim after she accused him of causing damage to the house during a routine inspection visit.
He told investigators that during a physical altercation he stabbed and killed her. He then placed the body in a bin bag, carried it in his car and buried it in the field on the night she died.
Investigation and possible motive
Authorities said they firmly believe the killing was a crime of passion after Stavroula Leventaki allegedly spurned his affections.
Police said the suspect had increasingly become a person of interest following the woman’s disappearance. Investigators’ suspicions grew after he attempted to flee three days after a third round of testimony, during which authorities had pressured him for answers.
Background
The suspect’s wife and daughter were on the island of Gavdos at the time of the killing, where they own a tavern.
The victim had returned to Crete last week to testify in a separate case in which the man was found in possession of 14 cannabis trees.