Fourth arrest in horrific Strovolos double murder

Police arrest a fourth suspect in the horrific double murder in Strovolos, with the public remaining in utter shock ten days later and investigators continuing to sift through evidence in what is undoubtedly an unprecedented and complicated case.

The suspect appeared at the Nicosia District Court on Sunday and was remanded for eight days, joining three other suspects in custody, a 33-year-old man along with his 21-year-old girlfriend and 23-year-old brother. The woman reportedly identified the fourth suspect as the person who drove her to the residence on Zalongou Street.

The 22-year-old man told the judge that he run up the stairs during the break-in and saw the bodies of the two victims in a pool of blood.

The suspects appear to have been involved in a burglary attempt on April 19, when 60-year-old teacher Yiorgos Hadjigeorgiou and his 59-year-old wife Dina Sergiou were found savagely stabbed to death multiple times in the bedroom of their own house in Strovolos, Nicosia.

The two brothers are accusing each other of committing the murders, while the female suspect is also pointing fingers at the 33-year-old, reportedly telling police that her boyfriend had told her they might have to commit murder.

Recent information during court hearings suggests that the group had met in advance to organise the burglary. Media reports suggested that the target was a money safe in the home, but a number of critics in the media raised questions over the horrific nature of the murders that did not make sense in a burglary. 

All named suspects are placed at the crime scene either by DNA evidence or testimony, while it is still unclear whether police have identified other suspects in the case beyond the four persons in custody. 

On Saturday, the 33-year-old suspect, who says he knows the motives behind the double murder, was the one who pointed out the exact location of the knife and named the two others in the case, with his younger brother accusing each other of committing the murder.

He also said previously that he was being framed when investigators appeared to be puzzled over a pair of shoes without laces, found at the scene of the crime, that the 33-year-old appears to have admitted it belonged to him.

Even though investigators are building a case against the suspects, full details are not yet known.

Forensic pathologists determined that the murders were carried out with a lot of hate towards the victims, although not all results from the reports have been made publicly available yet.

The teenage son of the murdered couple told authorities that he was awaken by a commotion in the house and later picked out the 33-year-old suspect in a police lineup. The boy had said earlier that a man walked into his bedroom and told him that they killed his parents.

The boy was not named as a suspect but police are keeping a tight lid over information as to whether they have more suspects beyond the four individuals in custody.

Police used DNA proof from inside the house, along with other items inside and outside the residence, to secure the arrests. But is not clear what type of evidence is actually linked directly to the murders.

Crime investigators are carrying on with the investigation with no signs yet as to whether more arrests are imminent.