Four suspects in the murder of Thanasis Kalogeropoulos last month will be kept in custody until the start of their trial in two months, the Limassol District Court decided on Thursday.
All four appeared in court for the second time this week, after the defence had previously objected to their detention on Monday.
Kalogeropoulos was gunned down at the end of October on his way to his morning swim in Limassol.
On Thursday, the defence lawyers for three of the four suspects objected once again to their clients’ detention. However, no objection was raised for the 41-year-old, against whom scientific evidence, specifically DNA linking him to the crime scene, has been secured.
The lawyers for the other three suspects, aged 44, 22, and 21, raised objections, citing incomplete material presented to them.
According to lawyer Christos Poutziouris, the defence team received only a portion of the evidence, including a CD containing telecommunication data.
The court ordered the continued detention of all four individuals, expressing concerns about the risk of flight.
All four suspects were referred for a direct trial at the Criminal Court, scheduled to commence on January 23, 2024.
The charges include premeditated murder, conspiracy to commit murder, arson, and possession and transportation of a weapon.
On Monday, the court heard details about each defendant from the prosecution, which had requested their remand until the trial.
Kalogeropoulos, well-known to police, was gunned down at the end of October on his way to his morning swim in a busy area of Limassol. The assailants killed him from a vehicle at a two-metre range, then fled and set the vehicle on fire before escaping on a motorcycle.
For the first defendant (a 41-year-old motorcycle driver), the prosecution stated that his genetic material was found in the balaclava at the scene of the murder, and there is also written testimony that he showed a Kalashnikov and a pistol to someone via video call while he was in house of another suspect ahead of the murder.
For the second defendant (44-year-old, the house owner), the prosecution said that he had given his mansion to the 41-year-old, while he himself was paying €6,000 per month to rent somewhere else. The prosecutor said that the mansion had been used as the hub for planning the murder.
Also, the 44-year-old had a meeting with the victim before the murder.
Regarding the third defendant (22-year-old), the prosecution said that his involvement in the escape of the 21-year-old (4th defendant) can be seen from CCTV footage, while in various phases before the murder, he had been seen going and coming from the 44-year-old’s mansion. Evidence that may be related including shell-casings and clothes like those worn by the motorcycle driver, were also found in his home.
For the fourth defendant (21-year-old, motorcycle passenger), the prosecution added he was the person who took the motorcycle to the escape point before the murder. Furthermore, on the day of the murder, a car owned by the first defendant is seen on CCTV approaching his home, which is also confirmed by their telecommunications data.
