Man denies murder of couple, admits to manslaughter

By Evie Andreou

The 30-year-old man accused of killing his aunt and uncle in May denied the charge of premeditated murder during his trial on Tuesday, admitting only to manslaughter.

The suspect, who has been diagnosed with mental problems, answered his four charges by the Limassol Criminal court, including pre-meditated murder, possession and carrying a weapon and bullets and using them, the other three of which he accepted.

The victims, Savvas Sophocleous, 74, and his 78-year-old wife Kyriaki, were found shot dead in a storage shed in their orchard in Ayios Ioannis in the Pitsilia area.

The autopsies on the couple showed the man was shot twice and the woman four times from close range.

The firearm used belongs to the suspect’s brother, a 33-year-old game warden, who is to also to stand trial for not securing his weapon and its ammunition properly.

It has been reported the suspect harboured murderous thoughts against his aunt and uncle because he had not been invited to a family christening.

The trial was adjourned until October 16 and the suspect was taken back to the central prison.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.