The investigation into the killing of Stavros Demosthenous has reached a critical phase. Police currently have four suspects under scrutiny, each believed to have played a different role based on evidence gathered so far. Central to the case is a 39-year-old Greek national, the registered owner and driver of a dark pickup truck. If police suspicions are confirmed, he appears to have had the most substantial involvement among the identified suspects and is considered a key figure for cracking the case. Police believe he may also know who the gunmen are.
Two more men in custody and an alleged offer to mislead police
Two Greek Cypriot men from Nicosia, aged 58 and 30, were also remanded on Monday after being named by a 44-year-old suspect as having possession of the motorcycle, which he says he sold to them earlier. In a written statement, the 44-year-old alleged the 58-year-old and the 30-year-old called him on Saturday and offered him money to tell police the motorcycle had been stolen and that he knew nothing about it.
Police assessments so far suggest the detained individuals may have had peripheral roles in the murder plan rather than being the shooters. On Sunday night, searches were conducted inside the Central Prisons, targeting the cells of a convicted felon and a remand prisoner in the Kalogeropoulos murder. Nothing incriminating was found.
The dark pickup that shadowed the motorcycle
Court testimony during the remand hearing for the three latest suspects introduced another critical vehicle: a dark, double-cab pickup with distinctive features, registered to the 39-year-old Greek national and permanent Cyprus resident. According to the case investigator, CCTV shows a pickup of the same type, colour and features, including a roof rack and exhaust, following the motorcycle at close distance on the same roads in the same area after the crime.
Testimony indicates the pickup entered the dirt road where the getaway van was burned, but did not exit at the same point. It was later captured on CCTV very near where the motorcycle was found. The pickup is seen turning into the Potamias Street dirt track shortly after the van and the motorcycle enter it. Police say there are reasonable grounds to suspect the driver helped the perpetrators escape after abandoning the motorcycle in Ayios Tychonas, as the same pickup, with only the driver on board wearing a yellow top, appears close to the abandonment site. The vehicle was also recorded by CCTV in the vicinity of the victim’s home in the days before the murder.
In court it was noted that the pickup driver wore a distinctive yellow top with black elements and black trousers. Cross-examination revealed that at the time of the murder the pickup was near the scene and the driver was seen outside the vehicle wearing the same clothes.
During a search of the 39-year-old’s home, police found a fluorescent yellow top consistent with CCTV descriptions. The suspect has provided explanations placing himself at the relevant locations, which police are testing. Investigators remain unconvinced for now, noting the footage depicts not a single coincidence but a series of appearances over an extended route that aligns with the murder plan’s timeline.
Who held the motorcycle
Under cross-examination it emerged that the 44-year-old ties the 58-year-old and the 30-year-old to the motorcycle. He says they called him before his arrest to warn that police had the bike and urged him to say he knew nothing and had sold it previously, allegedly offering cash for him to claim it was stolen. This development could ultimately clear the 44-year-old in the coming days, although his immediate release is not expected. Investigators are not closing the loop on the bike’s chain of custody, noting it may have passed through other hands. DNA tests on samples from the motorcycle, as well as forensic analysis of a cap, are expected to shed more light.
What searches uncovered
Regarding the first two suspects, the 58-year-old denied involvement and offered explanations, while the 30-year-old declined to answer questions and asked to give a statement in the presence of his lawyer. The third suspect, the 39-year-old, also made claims that are under investigation.
From the 58-year-old’s residence police seized two mobile phones. From the 30-year-old’s home they seized two helmets and a mobile phone. From the 39-year-old’s address they seized a mobile phone, a fluorescent vest or top, and the dark double-cab pickup at the centre of the CCTV trail.
Police say they now hold critical details in the case. Parallel lines of inquiry continue to clarify who controlled the motorcycle at each stage and to test the 39-year-old’s account against the CCTV timeline. Forensic results on the motorcycle and other items are pending and are expected to be pivotal.