Man murdered for a mere 200 euros

24news.com.cy

The brutal murder of 61-year-old Dorotheos Dimitriadis on January 4 in Latsia by a group of people who beat him mercilessly has shocked the country.

The authorities arrested seven people in connection with the heinous crime.

A couple with four minor children, aged 35 and 31, is among those arrested. Two of the four children were present when the incident occurred. According to the information, the children have been sent to Social Welfare Services.

Investigators in the case are still taking statements from suspects and family members of 61-year-old Dimitriades.

All those arrested have their detention orders set to expire next Friday (13/1), and it is possible that they will be brought to direct trial.

However, it is unclear whether all seven arrested will face the same charges because developments may occur during interrogation or even during the current court proceedings.

So far, all seven people have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder and manslaughter.

They murdered the 61-year-old man for the sum of 200 euros

The circumstances surrounding the murder of 61-year-old Dorotheos Dimitriadis in Latsia around 6.45 p.m. on Wednesday (4/1), are shocking.

The 61-year-old was reportedly beaten to death for 200 euros. The brutal incident was caused by a hardware transaction in particular. The accused couple owed the money to the victim's relative. The 61-year-old went to ask for the amount on that fatal night, but instead of receiving the money owed, he died tragically.

It is worth noting that the heinous beating was captured on video by a closed-circuit surveillance system, which authorities are thoroughly investigating.

The verbal assault and the police complaint

It all started around 17:30 on Wednesday afternoon (4/1) when the 31-year-old woman came down from her apartment and met the victim's family friend at the apartment building's entrance.

The young woman was assisting a resident of the apartment building in cleaning up the mess made by the couple's minor children. As they had several disagreements, the 31-year-old woman verbally attacked the young woman at one point. The 61-year-family old's friend then called the cops, and the 31-year-old fled.

She went to explain herself and fell to the ground

Dorotheos was informed of the incident by the young woman, and he went to her apartment and accompanied her to the Latsia police station, where she reported the incident.

Around 19:00, the 61-year-old returned to the apartment building with a family friend and told her to enter her apartment and wait. Dorotheus knocked on the door of the couple's apartment and a resident opened it.

After entering the apartment, the victim saw the 31-year-old woman in front of him but did not know him. According to the 31-year-old woman's allegations, she and her 35-year-old partner got into a verbal confrontation and got into a fight with the victim.

According to testimony in the possession of authorities, the 35-year-old was heard telling one of his minor children to go to the square and call for help from everyone there. 

After entering the apartment, the victim noticed a 31-year-old woman in front of him who he had never met before. According to the 31-year-old woman's allegations, she and her 35-year-old partner had a verbal argument and fought with the victim.

According to testimony obtained by authorities, the 35-year-old was heard telling one of his minor children to go to the square and request assistance from everyone present.

He had been dragged and beaten

While the couple and the victim were inside the apartment with the door open, as captured on CCTV, the 61-year-old man can be seen lying on the ground, while five other people, including the third arrested person, the 26-year-old, can be seen approaching at the same time.

According to the investigator, Dimitriades was beaten on the ground by the couple, the 26-year-old, and other people who had arrived. The 61-year-old was beaten further, as the 26-year-old appears to have dragged the victim down the apartment building's stairs and hit him in the face with his hands and feet, according to the evidence.

As they descended the apartment building's stairs, the victim was supported by the 26-year-old and others.

Dorotheo's final words

A resident of the apartment building called the cops, who arrived on the scene and discovered the five people had fled.

The police officers found the 61-year-old man who had died in front of the apartment building's entrance. While his pants were down, the victim was conscious and had visible bruises and abrasions on his face.

Before passing away, the 61-year-old man told police, "They consumed me," and an ambulance was called to the scene. At the same time, the couple went down to the apartment building's entrance, with the 31-year-old woman screaming that Dorotheus had gone to their house and beaten them up in front of their underage children. The victim, according to the 35-year-old, attacked and beat his 31-year-old partner, claiming they were not to blame. The 61-year-old man died as the ambulance arrived on the scene. 

[This article was translated from its Greek original]