Crime in Crete: The cases against the father who took revenge and the role of his wife

New details have emerged about the brutal murder that occurred on the afternoon of Tuesday, May 5, in Ammoudara, Heraklion, Crete.

The perpetrator is a 54-year-old man who, after shooting and killing the 20-year-old victim, went to the Maleme Police Department where he surrendered and handed over the weapon. His 56-year-old wife was also taken to the police station as she was reportedly in the car with him at the time of the murder.

It is noted that the perpetrator held the 20-year-old responsible for the death of his 17-year-old son about three years ago.

According to information, the 54-year-old had been the subject of two separate investigations for threats: The first occurred just 40 days after the tragic loss of his 17-year-old son. At that time, the family had made threats against the family of the young man who was driving the car in which their child died as a passenger in 2023.

About a year later, there was another incident involving an attack and threats, and the victim had issued a restraining order against the 54-year-old because they feared retaliation.

The Fatal Ambush

Finally, on May 5, after encouragement from his 56-year-old wife, the perpetrator, driving her car on Andreas Papandreou Street in Ammoudara, Heraklion, rammed the oncoming car of the 21-year-old, immobilized it, then got out and shot the unfortunate victim six times, who had no time to react.

The perpetrator emptied his .38 revolver into him and then returned to the car.

He then left his wife at home and took his motorcycle to the Maleme Police Department, where he surrendered to the police, stating that the act was due to his differences with the victim. He handed over the revolver, which contained six spent .38 special rounds.

The wife of the perpetrator was also arrested for aiding him mentally, as she had been continuously urging him to take vengeful action for the death of their 17-year-old son and played a decisive role in the decisions of the perpetrator, who had reportedly wavered for some time on this matter.

The Fatal Traffic Accident of 2023

It is reminded that the events began in October 2023 when the 17-year-old victim of Tuesday’s attack was the driver of a car with the 54-year-old’s son, aged 17, in the passenger seat. Their vehicle veered off course and crashed into a pole, causing both young men to be trapped inside. They were extricated by firefighters and taken to Venizeleio Hospital.

There, the 17-year-old fought in the ICU for about 20 days but could not survive and died in early November.

The evidence at the time showed that the vehicle was moving at high speed, which led to the loss of control.

It seems that the 54-year-old never recovered from the tragic loss of his son and decided to take the law into his own hands.

The 2024 Case

As cretalive reports, at Christmas 2024, the 54-year-old had been charged with attempted murder against the young man.

The 19-year-old victim at the time claimed that, when he was returning from a night out and climbing the stairs to his home, he was struck from behind on his legs with a piece of wood. He had stated during the investigation that he did not see who hit him, but after the noise, the father and sister of the perpetrator came out of the house. The perpetrator fled, but the young man chased him and hit him with a pole. It was then that the perpetrator pulled out a gun and shot at the two siblings. The young man said he was scared, pulled his sister down, and tried to protect her.

From the perpetrator’s side, he had been called to testify and denied any involvement in the incident, claiming he had never left his house that evening.