Femicide in Igoumenitsa: 27-year-old suspect appears before investigating magistrate – His claims and alleged motive

The 27-year-old man accused of the femicide of 25-year-old Pinelopi is due to appear before the investigating magistrate in Igoumenitsa today, Thursday (24/10), following a medical examination carried out at the hospital where he was being held under police guard.

According to the latest information, doctors determined that his health condition allows him to be transferred and to provide testimony before the judicial authorities. His transfer from Filiates General Hospital to the Igoumenitsa Courthouse is expected to take place at 11:00.

Initially, authorities were considering having the investigating magistrate and prosecutor travel to the hospital, where the 27-year-old was being treated in the surgical department, in order to receive his statement. However, following the new medical assessment, it was decided that he would be transferred to the courthouse.

The 27-year-old’s claims failed to convince authorities

The suspect eventually admitted, during questioning by police officers, that he was the one who killed her. However, he claimed that their meeting at the bicycle path kiosk was over a €2,000 financial debt that he alleged existed between them, and that he stabbed her after they had a heated argument.

Police, however, remain sceptical of these claims, as the suspect, who lived in Aigaleo and had visited the woman’s home while they were in a relationship, appears to have travelled there specifically for the meeting, while making sure to arrive armed with a pocket knife.

His determination to find her is also indicated by the fact that he travelled a day before the crime and spent the night sleeping on a bench.

At the same time, according to information available so far, the 27-year-old is believed to have attempted to present authorities with a different version of events, claiming that he and the 25-year-old had been attacked by four people. These claims are being investigated by police.

25-year-old woman brutally stabbed – She attempted to defend herself

The findings of the post-mortem examination carried out by forensic pathologist Giannis Aivatidis have caused shock.

According to information, the forensic examiner found 14 stab wounds inflicted with a knife, specifically a pocket knife.

Seven of the wounds were on her back, with several of them striking vital organs, including the lungs, liver and spleen, while the most fatal injuries were those inflicted on her neck.

Additional injuries were found on her legs, as well as defensive wounds on the young woman’s hands, indicating her attempt to defend herself and protect herself from the repeated blows inflicted by the attacker, which also reveal the ferocity of the assault.

The motive at the centre of the investigation

The 27-year-old’s testimony before the investigating magistrate is expected to shed further light on the motive and circumstances surrounding the femicide.

As part of the investigation, authorities are examining whether the attack was linked to the couple’s separation, as according to reports the suspect allegedly had not accepted that their relationship had ended.

After his testimony, the investigating magistrate will decide on his further criminal treatment, in accordance with the judicial procedure.

The suspect’s criminal record

The man had previously come to the attention of authorities in 2012 for participating in incidents outside the Greek Parliament, when he was accused of violence against public officials and causing bodily harm to a riot police officer. In 2016, he was arrested for a theft in Aigaleo, and in 2022 in Omonia for possession of fireworks.

At the scene of the crime, police were initially alerted by a passer-by who saw the lifeless and bloodied body of the young woman at the bicycle path kiosk. Shortly afterwards, the suspect himself also called, claiming that he had allegedly been attacked by unknown individuals.

He was found in dense vegetation some distance away from the victim, with chest injuries, including one deep wound. He was transferred to Igoumenitsa Hospital, where he remains under police guard.

The suspect also admitted that he had thrown away the murder weapon somewhere shortly after the kiosk, and police located it and transferred it to forensic laboratories for analysis.

However, the suspect’s mobile phone was not found in his possession, with authorities estimating that he may have discarded it. Only the woman’s mobile phone was recovered, which has also been sent to forensic laboratories for analysis.