Limassol: A 25-year-old man was handed two consecutive life sentences by the Limassol Assize Court after pleading guilty to the premeditated murders of 39-year-old Andrea Kouzoupis and 38-year-old Slovak national David Chmelar, which occurred on the Parekklisia-Kellakiou road on July 30, 2024. The man is expected to act as a prosecution witness in the ongoing judicial proceedings against his 21-year-old co-defendant, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the post mortem revealed that the victims had been shot in the head before being found in a burnt vehicle. The defendants offered conflicting claims during their interrogations regarding the circumstances surrounding the crime. Facts presented in court indicated that the 25-year-old, along with a second person, met the victims near the water tank of the village of Arakapas in the Limassol district, where the victims were killed with a shotgun.
It was noted in court that the 25-year-old was not the person who pulled the trigger. The victims' vehicle was later transported to the Listovounou area, pushed onto a side road, and left immobilized against a tree. Subsequently, the 25-year-old and his companion purchased gasoline from a petrol station, returned to the scene, and set the vehicle alight with the victims inside.
During the court proceedings before the Criminal Court, the 25-year-old initially denied the charges but later admitted to the premeditated murder of the two victims.