Defence rests case in double murder trial
THE DEFENCE lawyer of a man accused of killing his wife and her lover in August last year yesterday closed his case in the trial.
The next court proceeding in the marathon trial will be the summing up of the defence and the prosecution.
Christoforos Charalambous, 27, denies two charges of premeditated murder against his wife Anna Vasileva, 30 from Kyrgyzstan, and her 45-year-old lover Yiannos Demosthenous in August last year.
Demosthenous’ decomposed body was found in his Ayios Omoloyites Nicosia apartment with 38 stab wounds.
Vasileva’s body was never officially identified, but during initial investigations the suspect led police to charred skeletal remains and teeth in barrel outside the defendant’s home village of Askas.
The last witness called up by defence lawyer yesterday was Charalambous’ father Nicos who told the court that skeletal remains could have belonged to anybody.
“Do you have any proof that what you were burning was in fact rubbish?” quizzed the prosecutor.
“Do you have any proof that my son burnt Vasileva?” the father snapped back.
He continued, “Those bones could have belonged to anyone. Even State Pathologist Sophocles Sophocleous told television reporters that anyone could have walked into the general hospital and walked out with human bones.”
Sophocleous had made the comment during the old Nicosia General Hospital scandal in which human corpses were found rotting away in the morgue.
Charalambous had also denied accusations from the prosecution that he had tried to burn personal items belonging to Vasileva.
He had also admitted to the court that he had told investigating officers who were searching his field in Askas “Why are you looking for that woman? She isn’t worth it.”
“The day after my son’s arrest, I went to his van and picked up some rubbish such as expired drinks and bottles of water. I then went back to Askas and burnt them in the barrels,” he continued.
Upon his arrest, Charalambous had initially confessed to breaking into Demosthenous’ apartment and finding him in bed with his wife. It was then that he reportedly went into a frenzy and stabbed them both.
He later retracted his confession in a second statement, saying he went to Demosthenous’ apartment and they both had an argument. He then claimed to have fought with Demosthenous, wrestled the knife out of his hands and stabbed him.
When he took the stand last week, he again changed his story telling the court that he didn’t know who Demosthenous was and that he had never met him.
Despite leading officers to the remains, Charalambous maintains both he and his wife parted ways in Kyrenia and that he has not seen her since.
Forensic investigators suspect Vasileva tried to stop Charalambous from stabbing Demosthenous in the frenzied attack.
They believe Charalambous then turned the knife on his wife and killed her before dragging her to his car, driving her to the location and setting her remains alight inside the barrel.
Police discovered pools of blood all over Demosthenous’ apartment and in the boot of Charalambous’ pick-up truck. Vasileva’s blood was also found in the pick-up truck.
The trial continues on June 15 with the defence lawyer Stelios Chimonas set to make his closing arguments.
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