Serial killer locked up for life

Nikos Metaxas was sentenced to life in prison on Monday for the murders of five women and two children, just hours after he pleaded guilty in an unprecedented serial killer case that shocked the public in Cyprus and overseas.

Metaxas, a 35-year-old Greek Cypriot army captain also known as Orestis, was facing charges of premeditated murder, kidnapping, abduction with murder intent, evidence tampering, and hindering an investigation.

He pleaded guilty on Monday to all murder charges, one by one, admitting to killing Marry Rose Tiburcio and her daugther Sierra Graze Seucalliuc, Αrian Palanas Lozano, Maricar Valdez Arquiola, Livia Florentina Bunea and her daughter Elena Natalia Bunea, and Asmita Khadka Bista.

The presiding judge, Haris Poyiatzis, handed down five consecutive life sentences as well as two life sentences that will run concurrently.

“The defendant went on a killing spree of defenceless women, the court said.

Earlier, Metaxas was reportedly quiet and kept his head down while the state prosecutor was reading out loud the facts of the case. He then stood up with tears in his eyes and admitted the crimes.

“I have committed the crimes. I take responsibility. No matter how much I would like to turn back time, it's not possible” he said.
 
“I apologize to the victims and their families. I’m sorry about the kids. I apologize to the Cypriot society which wonders how a man could reach such a point. This is the same question that is tormenting me but I have not come up with an answer. I have memories from past decades that I try to forget. I make myself available to a detailed research study in search of those answers,” Metaxas added.

The prosecutor earlier told the court that Metaxas, so far the only defendant in the case, had confessed during the course of the investigation to killing five women and two children, all foreign nationals.

The defendant, who appeared eight times before a Nicosia court without a lawyer, was once again without legal representation in six criminal cases against him following a two-month investigation and the recovery of seven bodies. Five cases relate to the seven murders of the five adult women and two of their children, while a sixth case is about rape allegations launched against Metaxas by a young aspiring model.

The story has been updated twice to reflect guilty apology comments in the late morning and sentencing in the early afternoon.