The criminal trial into the murder of Limassol businessman Stavros Demosthenous resumes on Thursday before the Limassol Criminal Court, with all six defendants expected to appear under heightened security measures.
The defendants, aged 28, 28, 30, 30, 31 and 51, are facing a series of serious charges, including premeditated murder, conspiracy to commit a felony and conspiracy to commit murder. Additional charges relate to the arson of a vehicle, the illegal possession, transportation and use of a firearm, the use of explosives, and vehicle theft.
According to investigators, one of the 30-year-old defendants is suspected of involvement in the purchase and resale of the motorcycle allegedly used by the perpetrators to flee the scene after Demosthenous was shot. A second 30-year-old defendant, who is currently serving a prison sentence in an unrelated case, is accused of issuing instructions from Central Prison regarding the acquisition of the motorcycle.
DNA evidence linked to the 51-year-old defendant was reportedly found inside a stolen vehicle believed to have been used to track Demosthenous prior to the murder.
The 31-year-old defendant is accused of driving the van from which the fatal shots were fired. He was initially arrested on suspicion of assisting one of the two 28-year-old suspects to flee Cyprus for Greece via the north. As the investigation progressed, he was re-arrested on additional charges, including allegedly ordering counterfeit registration plates for the stolen vehicle used in the attack. His DNA was also found on a hat that fell from one of the perpetrators during their escape by motorcycle.
The two 28-year-old defendants, who are cousins, were arrested by Greek authorities in Thessaloniki in November under European arrest warrants. Investigators believe one of them fired the fatal shots, while the other allegedly provided assistance using an SUV after the motorcycle was abandoned.
Demosthenous was widely known for serving as chairman of second division football club Karmiotissa FC. He was killed in October last year while travelling in the passenger seat of a car driven by his 18-year-old son.
At the time, police spokeswoman Kyriaki Lambrianidou said the shooting occurred approximately 500 metres from the victim’s home, adding that initial information suggested Demosthenous was shot from a vehicle travelling in front of them.
After the shooting, his son attempted to drive to hospital but crashed on the motorway. He then flagged down another vehicle and asked the driver to take them to Limassol General Hospital, where Demosthenous was later pronounced dead. His son was not physically injured.
Police investigations indicate that the fatal shots were likely fired from a van travelling ahead of the victims’ vehicle. The van was later found burned, while a motorcycle believed to have been used in the attack was discovered abandoned elsewhere in the Limassol area.