The Paphos District Court renewed the detention order for another eight days for the 58-year-old suspect in the pre-meditated murder of 26-year-old Alexandros Antoniou in Konia.
The eight-day detention order for the suspect expired today, and the 58-year-old was brought before the court again under increased security measures, this time in the presence of close relatives who observed the proceedings. The court accepted the Police request for an eight-day renewal, citing the volume of investigations still to be carried out.
The most significant element heard in the courtroom today was the statement by the police representative that the 58-year-old had essentially confessed to committing the murder, referring to it as a “bad moment” and an “unplanned act.” The representative stated that the suspect acted when the 26-year-old reacted to his comments during their meeting, at which point he “blacked out” and pulled out the knife, as the suspect claimed. He also stated, according to the police representative, that he regrets what happened.
The suspect himself, as reported to the court, has fundamentally changed the approach he followed during the first days of his arrest when he refused any cooperation with authorities. Now, according to the police representative, he is presenting certain claims and cooperating with investigators.
The 58-year-old previously provided information to the police regarding the location where the knife was found, in a rural area of Tsada. However, the clothes he wore at the time of the incident remain missing.
The tragedy unfolded late in the afternoon on Wednesday, 19 November, outside a kiosk on the main avenue of Konia. According to current police data, the 26-year-old victim and the father of a young woman—who had reported harassment by the victim a few hours earlier—met outside the kiosk. An argument and tension followed. The 58-year-old then reportedly pulled out a knife and severely wounded the 26-year-old while the latter was still inside his vehicle.
The victim, Alexandros, was initially taken to Paphos Hospital. However, due to his critical condition, he was transferred the same evening to a private hospital in Limassol, where he succumbed to his injuries two days later despite doctors’ efforts.