Motive behind murders still ‘not yet determined’

The motive behind last week’s murders of Thanasis Kalogeropoulos and Alexis Mavromichalis have still “not yet been determined”, according to police spokesman Christos Andreou.

Andreou was speaking to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) on Tuesday and said both victims were “well known in their local districts”.

He said police are still looking for the passenger of the getaway motorcycle which was used to escape the scene of the first murder, adding that the person’s identity is not yet known.

He also said that “from the information we have so far, there does not seem to be any connection” between the suspects of the two murders.

Additionally, he said the police “have a lot of investigative work ahead”.

Thanasis Kalogeropoulos was shot 10 times in broad daylight in Limassol  on October 30 while on the way to his morning swim.

Alexis Mavromichalis, also known as Alexoui, was shot while standing on the balcony of his apartment in Nicosia the following day.

Two men were arrested in connection with the murder of Kalogeropoulos and remanded in custody for eight days on Sunday.

The court heard that one suspect had held a meeting with Kalogeropoulos ten days prior to the murder, according to what he told police.

Police said the man had met with Kalogeropoulos to discuss illegal gambling activities.

Meanwhile, reports surfaced in Phileleftheros that the bullet used to kill Mavromichalis was not from a National Guard G3 gun.

Analysis of the bullet wound in Mavromichalis’ body showed that it was fired from a distance of around 50 metres in the abdomen from below.

The weapon used was military-grade and 7.62mm in calibre, but the bullet was longer than those used in standard issue G3 rifles.

As a result, the police are now awaiting the results of analysis on the bullet, to see if any genetic material or fingerprints from the shooter remain.

They added that although the vehicle used to escape the scene was recorded on a CCTV camera, the footage is of poor quality, and for this reason, police are now searching for other footage from other cameras in the area to determine the identity of the murderer.

At the same time, police have requested telecommunications data from Mavromichalis’ telephones, with the aim of determining whether he received threats prior to the murder, and who he spoke to in the hours leading up to his murder.