Suspect in Kalogeropoulos murder remanded for seven days

The 21-year-old suspect in the case of the murder of Thanasis Kalogeropoulos was remanded in custody for seven days on Saturday.

The man was jeered by friends and relatives of Kalogeropoulos upon his entrance to the Limassol district court and wore a bulletproof vest throughout proceedings.

He was charged with a range of offences regarding the murder. Despite police not reading their remand request before the court, proceedings went on for over an hour as the man’s lawyers raised a series of questions.

The lawyers said they “sympathise with the relatives and friends of the victim who lost a loved one, but we must preserve the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.”

Additionally, the lawyers expressed their displeasure at “the fact our client has been presented by the media as the murderer.” They described what was happening as “unbelievable”.

Police said they are planning new searches to look for evidence, and that they hope to take around 70 statements and review CCTV footage.

The 21-year-old suspect is believed to be the motorcycle passenger seen on CCTV footage after the getaway car was set on fire.

He handed himself in to police in Larnaca on Friday afternoon, accompanied by his lawyer.

Also on Friday, a 22-year-old suspect was arrested in the early hours of the morning and appeared in court later the same day.

Police currently believe the man in question helped organise the whole assassination plan and helped transport the killers to and from the scene.

Limassol police chief Lefteris Kyriacou had said that ““based on the testimonies we have collected so far, there is reasonable suspicion that the 22-year-old was involved in the whole case.”

The man was remanded in custody for eight days following brief court proceedings. He had told the court through his lawyer that he had “nothing to do with the offences” for which he had been arrested.

Police had already identified the 41-year-old driver of the motorbike, who was remanded with another 44-year-old suspect on November 5.

A motive for the murders is still being sought and police are continuing intense efforts to clarify whether the killers were under orders from someone else.

The two previously arrested were remanded in custody for eight days on November 5 for the murder of Kalogeropoulos, who was shot 10 times in broad daylight in Limassol on October 30 while on the way to his morning swim.

The 41-year-old is suspected of being one of the two murderers while the 44-year-old allegedly provided aid to and sheltered the murderers before and after the crime.

Elsewhere, police are continuing to investigate the fatal shooting of Alexis Mavromichalis and are seeking to determine to whom he spoke in the hours leading up to his murder, and whether he received threats.

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