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Convicted killer Christakis Thoma, who knifed three men in Limassol over three years ago, will serve three consecutive life sentences after the Supreme Court changed his manslaughter sentence to premeditated murder.
The case dates back to November 2015, when Thoma killed two brothers and another male in downtown Limassol.
Brothers Ntorzi, 19-year-old Constantinos and 21-year-old Paraschos, as well as 24-year-old Emilios Miltiadous, were stabbed to death on 24 November 2015 in Limassol, after they were chased one-by-one by Thoma, whose lawyers told a court two years later that their client had flown into a rage.
According to the defence, Thoma killed the three men following a heated argument at his father’s restaurant, where the three victims went to confront Thoma. Media reports said Thoma and Constantinos were both linked to a woman's Facebook account, which became a point of friction amid allegations of domestic abuse involving the woman and Thoma.
The relatives of the victims were not satisfied with the initial sentence, which drew criticism for finding Thoma guilty of manslaughter and not guilty on premeditated charges
Reports also said that the woman had shared a photo of her with Constantinos following a domestic violence incident allegedly involving Thoma. At one point, Thoma reportedly phoned another woman, reportedly the wife of Constantinos' third brother, which escalated the situation.
Thoma admitted killing the three men while his lawyer said he was provoked, pleading for leniency and asking that the sentence not be disproportionate to the crimes committed.
The court finally sentenced Thoma to three life sentences of 35 years each that would run concurrently. Reports said the relatives of the victims had not been satisfied with the initial sentence, which drew criticism for finding Thoma guilty of manslaughter and not guilty on premeditated charges.
Supreme Court overrules initial sentence
But the Legal Services Department appealed the ruling, and the Supreme Court on Wednesday imposed three 35-year life sentences to run consecutively, after finding Thoma guilty of premeditated murder.
“Through the findings and facts of the case, we find that murder intent had been proven beyond reasonable doubt,” the Supreme Court judges said.
The Supreme Court ruling established “mens rea” in the case, which meant that the perpetrator had intention or knowledge of wrongdoing which made his actions part of a crime, as opposed to Thoma’s conduct and actions as presented previously by his lawyer.
