Newsroom
Six men accused in the killing of 49-year-old Stavros Demosthenous are appearing before the Limassol Criminal Court on Thursday, as authorities push forward with one of the most complex murder cases Cyprus has seen in recent years.
Demosthenous was shot dead on October 17, 2025, in the Agios Athanasios area of Limassol, in what police say was a carefully planned ambush.
The defendants include two 30-year-olds, a 31-year-old, a 51-year-old, and two 28-year-olds. They face a long list of serious charges, including premeditated murder, conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit a felony, arson, illegal possession, transport and use of firearms and explosives, and vehicle theft.
According to investigators, the case involves multiple vehicles, fake license plates, a getaway motorcycle, and coordination stretching beyond Cyprus.
Police say one of the 30-year-olds is linked to the purchase and sale of the motorcycle used by the suspects to escape after they set fire to a van believed to have been used in the deadly attack. The second 30-year-old, who is already serving time in another case, allegedly gave instructions from inside Central Prison for the motorcycle to be bought.
Authorities also say DNA belonging to the 51-year-old was found inside a stolen vehicle that investigators believe was used to track Demosthenous before the shooting.
The 31-year-old is alleged to have been the driver of the van from which the fatal shots were fired. He was initially arrested for helping after the murder, as police believe he assisted one of the two 28-year-olds in fleeing through the north. He was later re-arrested on additional charges after investigators linked him to the ordering of fake license plates for the stolen vehicle. His genetic material was also found on a cap that fell from one of the suspects during their escape on the motorcycle, police say.
The two 28-year-olds, who are cousins, were arrested in Thessaloniki by Greek authorities under a European arrest warrant. Investigators believe one of them was the gunman who carried out the killing, while the other helped the suspects escape in an SUV after the motorcycle was abandoned.
All six defendants are expected to be brought to the Limassol District Court under tight security measures.
Demosthenous was gunned down in broad daylight in October, sparking a large-scale investigation involving Cypriot and Greek authorities. Police have described the killing as a coordinated operation involving surveillance, stolen vehicles, arson and an escape route that crossed borders.
