The Limassol Permanent Criminal Court is scheduled to deliver its verdict on Friday in the trial of four men accused of the premeditated murder of 55-year-old Thanasis Kalogeropoulos. The high-profile killing occurred on October 30, 2023, in a car park adjacent to a beachfront restaurant along Amathus Avenue in Limassol. Accused numbers one and four are alleged to have stepped out of a vehicle and repeatedly opened fire on Kalogeropoulos while he was sitting inside his car, while the other two defendants allegedly acted as accomplices. Authorities have established strict security protocols around the court building ahead of the ruling to manage safety and potential traffic disruptions.
The four defendants, currently aged 43, 46, 24, and 23, have been held on remand at the Central Prisons since the case began. In addition to premeditated murder, which is the most severe charge under the Criminal Code, the suspects face counts of conspiracy to commit murder, possession, transport, and use of Category A and B firearms, possession and use of explosives, and the arson of a getaway vehicle. The verdict was originally due on September 9, but the court required extra time to finish writing its ruling because of the sheer volume of evidence presented.
During the trial, prosecutors submitted more than 560 exhibits and called over 75 witnesses, including police officers, investigators, forensic experts, eyewitnesses, and relatives of the victim. Key evidence included CCTV footage from the surrounding Amathus Avenue area alongside videos and messages retrieved from the defendants' telecommunications data. After the court ruled that there was a prima facie case against them, all four defendants exercised their right to silence, leaving their defense teams to present arguments through hired expert witnesses.