AN ENGLISH woman murdered in Paphos on Sunday had told police a month ago that her ex-lover had poisoned her coffee.
Police sent samples to the state laboratory, but tests that could have proved the woman’s life was in danger have still not been completed.
Alex Ergatoudes, 45, was shot twice with a hunting rifle by her former partner Petros Kyprianou, 39, shortly after 1pm on Sunday, police said. Minutes later, he killed himself with the same gun.
Both were divorced, Ergatoudes from a Cypriot man.
Ergatoudes and Kyprianou broke up a few months ago after a five-year relationship, but police say Kyprianou refused to accept the split.
The victim, a permanent resident of Cyprus who has a grown up son, was at home when father-of-four Kyprianou, from Cholotria, went to her house in Paphos and shot her with his hunting rifle, police said.
The injured woman managed to find her way to the phone and called police, but by the time they reached the house she was dead on the stairs with the phone still in her hand.
Upstairs they found Kyprianou, who had killed himself with a single shot from his own gun.
Police admitted that Ergatoudes had called them on several occasions since she had split up with Kyprianou to complain that he was harassing her.
Paphos police chief Spyros Koniotis told the Cyprus Mail yesterday that on February 18, Ergatoudes had filed a complaint that Kyprianou had entered her home and poisoned her coffee.
"She wasn’t feeling well and had pains in her stomach," he said. "She suspected him of poisoning her coffee so we sent a sample to the state laboratory."
Koniotis said the results were not yet known, but said that even if they had been, they could not have proved that Kyprianou was the culprit.
"If we received positive results it would mean that someone had put poison in her coffee. She suspected it was her friend but there was no other evidence that it was him," Koniotis said.
He admitted, however, that Ergatoudes had been having problems with Kyprianou for the several months.
"Last Wednesday, he was called to the police station and reprimanded and told to stop seeing her," Koniotis said. "He promised but he didn’t keep his promise."
Koniotis said Kyprianou visited Ergatoudes before the killing and then returned with his hunting rifle.
"It was premeditated," he said. "Because he left his car locked 500 metres away and went up to the house with the gun."
He said Kyprianou had no history of psychological problems. According to reports, he had coffee with friends on Sunday morning and none reported anything amiss about his behaviour.
Neighbours said that shortly before the shooting they heard arguing from the house. One of the neighbours was Ergatoudes’ stepmother, Koniotis said. He said the deceased woman’s real mother lived in the UK.
