Italian pensioner charged with double murder in Aigio as forensic results awaited; defence claims innocence

The crime scene

A 54-year-old woman and her 26-year-old son were found dead in their home in Longos, Aigio, on Tuesday morning. The woman had sustained 27 knife wounds, while her son had been stabbed 7 times and also had a wound from an air rifle, according to the coroner's findings cited by ANT1. The woman's body was discovered near the entrance to her son's bedroom, leading investigators to believe she tried to intervene and fought with the attacker. The 65-year-old Italian partner of the woman was arrested and is being held at the Patras Police Directorate.

The suspect's account

“I am innocent. I love my wife and my son very much.”

The suspect claims he was sleeping in the living room on the night of the murders and heard nothing, not even the gunshot. He says he discovered the bodies around 11 a.m. on Tuesday and then called a neighbour friend, who subsequently alerted the police. His lawyer, Vasileios Noulezas, told NewsIT that the couple had a peaceful, harmonious relationship and that the suspect had been financially supporting both the woman and her son. The lawyer also stated the woman had been facing mental health issues recently and had visited a psychiatrist.

The investigation's findings

Police have found no signs of forced entry at the house, and security cameras from a neighbouring property recorded no suspicious movement, leading authorities to conclude the perpetrator was already inside the home. A freshly washed pair of underwear belonging to the suspect was found hanging in the yard, along with a towel bearing stains likely from blood. Officers also noted a strong smell of alcohol at the scene. The suspect reportedly had scratches on his hands, and biological material was found under the 54-year-old woman's fingernails, which is awaiting DNA analysis.

Contradictions and charges

According to police spokesperson Konstantia Dimoglidou, the suspect "insists on his initial position. That he essentially woke up and saw the two bodies in the house without having perceived what had preceded." However, he reportedly contradicted himself during a lengthy interrogation, giving different versions of his movements and his last contact with the victims. A significant time gap between the estimated time of the crime and the alerting of authorities is also under scrutiny. The suspect has been formally charged with intentional homicide in a calm mental state, committed serially, along with weapons and ammunition offences. He is scheduled to testify before an investigating magistrate and prosecutor on Friday morning.

Possible motives

While the motive remains officially unclear, investigators are examining several scenarios. SKAI reports that the couple had been experiencing financial and personal problems recently. The woman had sold a plot of land in Aigio and given all the proceeds to her son, who was studying in Germany. The suspect allegedly reacted to this, questioning why he would receive nothing from the sale after investing money in the house. Reports also suggest the woman wanted to end the relationship and that her son had come to Greece with the intention of taking her back to Germany permanently, under the pretext of medical care for a heart condition.

Defence strategy and forensic wait

“When we attribute a homicide, and in fact two, the case file must be substantiated and contain all the evidence proving the guilt of the alleged perpetrator.”

The suspect's lawyer, Maria Iatropoulou, has stated that the case file is incomplete, as results from gunshot residue tests on the suspect's hands and DNA analyses are still pending. She emphasised that it has not been proven who the murder weapon belongs to. The suspect has requested that the Italian embassy be informed and that he be allowed to contact his family in Italy, as authorities have confiscated his mobile phone. Forensic laboratory results, including tests on the confiscated knife, the air rifle, and the stained clothing, are expected to be delivered today.