By George Psyllides
The Nicosia criminal court rejected a defence motion on Friday to annul the charges faced by a woman in the trial of the double murder that took place in Nicosia last April.
Sarah Shams, 21, the girlfriend of the main suspect in the case – Loizos Tzionis – had argued that the charge sheet was defective and suffered from multiplicity – more than one charge for the same offence.
Tzionis, 33, Shams, his half-brother Lefteris Solomou, 23, and 22-year-old friend Marios Hadjixenophontos, have been charged with two counts of premeditated murder, conspiracy to commit felony, burglary, robbery and abduction.
On Friday, prosecutors submitted evidence collected at the scene, and elsewhere, including the blood-drenched clothes worn by the two victims.
The court adjourned for Wednesday, November 28. President Haris Poyiatzis asked the defence to group any objections regarding the exhibits and inform the prosecution beforehand so that they would be ready to argue on the day.
The suspects are accused of killing Giorgos Hadjigeorgiou, 60, and his wife Dina Sergiou, 59, in what appeared to be a botched robbery on the night of April 18-19.
The couple were found in their bedroom stabbed multiple times.
Included in the exhibits is a Samurai sword, a black telescopic baton, a pair of black trainers found in a plot next to the home, as well as fingernail scrapings from the victims.
A yellow backpack was also submitted along with its contents – a pair of white shoes, a plastic Guy Fawkes mask, a black and red t-shirt, blue men’s underwear, a pair of protective glasses, a flashlight, a pair of grey woolen socks, a plastic bag used to carry cable ties, and a pair of headphones.
A military-style penknife, black watch caps, and two mobile phones were also submitted, as well as telephone records from three providers.
The proceedings were adjourned when prosecutors tried to submit a black notebook and the defence raised objections.
All four had admitted their involvement in the crime, according to police, with Tzionis being the mastermind and the person who killed the couple.
The couple’s son, 15, was inside the house at the time but the perpetrators didn’t hurt him.
Their target appeared to be a safe the 33-year-old had spotted in 2012 while doing some work at the house.
The perpetrators got away with nothing as the safe Tzionis had anticipated finding had been removed.
Tzionis initially admitted all charges except that of burglary but later changed his plea.
