The murder of 75-year-old George Kariotis in Rhodes, for which his son has already received a life sentence, has come back into the public eye with the arrest of a new suspect.
As reported by dimokratiki.gr on Friday, a 41-year-old man has been apprehended as an accomplice in the homicide that occurred in June 2022.
This arrest follows a comprehensive police investigation by the Rhodes Crime Investigation and Detection Sub-Division, which gathered scientific evidence and testimonies to build a case.
According to the same source, the 41-year-old’s DNA was discovered on the towel and loop used during the murder.
It is worth noting that Evangelos Koulianos, the 42-year-old son of Kariotis, was arrested in March 2023 and handed a life sentence by the Joint Jury Court of Kos without mitigating circumstances.
New Testimony Sparks Further Investigations
In December 2024, a 47-year-old woman provided testimony at the Prosecutor’s Office of Rhodes, claiming that the actual perpetrator of the murder was not Kariotis’ son, but a 41-year-old man with whom she had a personal relationship (the arrested individual).
She stated that in August 2024, the 41-year-old confessed to her that he had killed Kariotis, entering the home with a drug-addicted woman from Thessaloniki. He allegedly detailed the crime scene, revealing that he had grabbed Kariotis by the neck and covered his mouth with a towel, using woolen gloves to leave no forensic trace.
The woman asserted that 30,000 euros were taken from Kariotis’ home and claimed that the perpetrator later killed his female accomplice, dumping her body at sea with a stone tied around her neck to ensure she would never be found.
However, it is important to note that the investigation uncovered that both the 47-year-old woman and the man are implicated in a theft case related to a house where she worked as a domestic helper.
Koulianos’ Stance
Koulianos has consistently denied any involvement in the crime. In a 2024 prison interview, he maintained that he was wrongfully convicted and identified the true offender, but his claims were reportedly disregarded.
With the arrest of the 41-year-old, the prosecution must now assess all new evidence and determine the next steps in the case.
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