Kalamaria: Criminal prosecution for intentional homicide against the 23-year-old – The cause of death of the 20-year-old

Criminal prosecution for intentional homicide has been brought against the 23-year-old arrested for the killing of the 20-year-old on the night of last Thursday in Kalamaria, Thessaloniki.

The prosecutor filed, in addition to the felony charge of homicide, charges for illegal possession and use of a weapon (misdemeanour), and referred him to testify before the First Regular Investigating Judge of Thessaloniki.

According to prosecution sources, the incident appears to have had a fan-related “undertone”, as charges under the Sports Law were also brought against two additional individuals who were with the 20-year-old victim during the incident and are included in the same case file.

More specifically, the charges are misdemeanours and concern aggravated dangerous bodily harm and possession of objects capable of causing bodily injury (with the aggravating provisions of the Sports Law). Of the two individuals, one has been identified by authorities, while the other remains unknown. They are expected to be summoned by the investigating judge handling the case to testify as part of the same case file.

It was also clarified that the possibility of the murder being connected to the case of the self-proclaimed “vigilante pedophile punishers” -a case file recently formed by authorities in which the 20-year-old victim was included- has been ruled out.

What the forensic examination revealed about the 20-year-old’s death

The circumstances of the death of the 20-year-old who was stabbed by the 23-year-old in Kalamaria were revealed by the findings of the forensic examination, which was completed in Thessaloniki.

According to the findings published by Voria, the young man died from severe injuries that caused massive blood loss.

The technical advisor representing the victim’s family, forensic pathologist Eleni Zaggelidou, stated that the cause of death was related to heavy bleeding.

As she explained, “regarding the cause of death, the young man died from massive blood loss.” According to her, the 20-year-old suffered hypovolemic shock, as it is estimated that he lost approximately two litres of blood.

Ms. Zaggelidou noted that the fatal wound was caused by a stab to the front part of the chest, in the precordial region.

“The cause was a rupture of the wall of his heart from a sharp object,” she said, clarifying that the young man also received a second stab wound in the right axillary area. However, she stressed that the first blow was the one that proved fatal.

At the same time, the examination showed that the 20-year-old also had blunt force injuries to the head. The most serious of these was a fracture in the right zygomatic region.

Kalamaria murder: The 23-year-old before the prosecutor

Earlier, the 23-year-old who confessed to stabbing the 20-year-old in Kalamaria appeared before the Thessaloniki Court of First Instance Prosecutor’s Office.

The 23-year-old presented himself on Friday (13/03), accompanied by his lawyer, at the Sub-Directorate for Combating Organized Crime. The young Aris supporter had been identified for his participation in the deadly attack.

He claimed that five individuals attacked him, that he found the knife on the street and used it to defend himself, without knowing whom he struck or how seriously.

The 23-year-old was initially brought in for questioning and then arrested, and he remains in custody.

Kalamaria murder: What authorities are examining

The spokesperson for the Hellenic Police, Konstantia Dimoglidi, speaking to ERTnews, reiterated that there is currently no evidence indicating that the fatal stabbing of the 20-year-old in Kalamaria was the result of settling fan-related differences.

As she stated, the victim and the alleged perpetrator appear to belong to different social groups that move within the city, but this alone does not mean that the attack had a fan-related character. According to the accused’s confession, he did not know the three individuals he encountered, including the victim.

The accused claimed that he was first and unprovokedly attacked by the group of three young men and reacted, resulting in the fatal injury of the 20-year-old. He also stated that two other individuals were with the victim, and they are being sought by police as persons involved in the incident.

According to Ms. Dimoglidi, these two individuals will be charged with dangerous bodily harm, as the alleged perpetrator appeared injured when he presented himself at the Thessaloniki Police Headquarters.

Based on the investigation so far, none of the four individuals involved had previously been known to authorities for offences related to sports legislation. Ms. Dimoglidi also stressed that the accused continues to insist that the attack against him was unprovoked and that he did not know the individuals who attacked him, nor had there been any prior conflict between them.

Police authorities are examining the possibility that there may be a past connection between them that has not yet been revealed. “Obviously there is something between them. There is some past history which, at least so far, has not been reported to the Hellenic Police, as several sworn statements were taken yesterday by officers of the Sub-Directorate for Combating Organized Crime before the accused appeared at the Police Headquarters,” she noted.

She added that police are working to locate and arrest the two individuals who were with the victim so that they can also testify about what exactly happened and provide a clearer picture of the events.