A NICOSIA man suspected of murdering his wife and her lover yesterday caused a stir in court after delaying proceedings by continuously saying that he did not understand the two charges against him.
On August 1, Christoforos Charalambous, 29, is believed to have stabbed 45-year-old Yiannos Demosthenous 38 times in the back with a kitchen knife.
Police believe Demosthenous was killed because he was having an affair with the suspect’s wife, 30-year-old Anna Vasileva from Kyrgyzstan.
Police later found the skeletal remains of his wife inside a metal barrel in an out-of-the-way area outside the village of Askas.
The fracas occurred yesterday in Judge Lemonia Kaoutzani’s courtroom in what was meant to be a routine hearing in which Charalambous was simply to answer whether he understood the charges against him.
State Prosecutor Christina Themistocleous told Charalambous: “You are charged with the premeditated murder of Yiannakis Demosthenous in Ayioi Omoloyites, 45 years old from Astromeritis. Do you understand the charge?”
“I didn’t do it. I don’t understand,” replied Charalambous, shrugging his shoulders.
The judge ordered the prosecutor to repeat the question, to which Charalambous simply gestured no with his head.
Judge Kaoutzani then stepped in and attempted to explain the charge one step at a time.
“You are charged with the premeditated murder of Yiannakis Demosthenous in Ayioi Omoloyites. Do you know where Ayioy Omoloyites is?”
“I don’t know where it is,” replied Charalambous.
The fracas continued for almost ten minutes with Charalambous, against the advice of his lawyer, maintaining that he didn’t know where in Nicosia he lived, what his address was, and what premeditated meant.
He eventually accepted that he knew what the charges meant, before stating that he also understood the second charge, in which he was being charged with the premeditated murder of his wife Anna.
Judge Kaoutzani ruled that the trial of Charalambous begin on October 26 at the Nicosia Criminal Court.
He was ordered to remain in police custody until his trial, where he will face the two charges of premeditated murder.
Officers believe that Charalambous snapped when he found out that his wife planned to leave him to go and live with Demosthenous.
Initially Charalambous claimed his wife had escaped to the north, but then reportedly broke down under questioning, telling police he would lead them to the spot where the woman’s body was.
But in a bizarre twist, Charalambous denies killing his estranged wife, saying she had asked to be cremated.
