After three consecutive interruptions, the proceedings began with the testimonies of the forensic expert who examined the body of Eleni Topaloudi, as well as the officer of the Coast Guard who investigated the crime.
The parents of the unfortunate student did not attend today's session, as they had informed the court, and will attend the next session, on March 28, in order to testify.
The testimony of the forensic expert
The forensic expert Pan. Kotretsos testified in court about the findings on the lifeless body of the 21-year-old student, which "screamed" - as he said - that it was a criminal act.
"There were cuts on the neck, it was from a sharp instrument. There were also the bruises on the neck, indicating an attempted strangulation. It was done with two hands," he testified in court, and then answered questions from the jury.
Chairman: Tell us, what did you find point by point when you examined the body? The notch had a bifurcation on one side. This means that the knife has moved, I assume that the notch was from a cutting instrument, from some kind of knife, not a rock. That's where I knew it was a criminal act. There were multiple wounds to the head, which it cannot be determined if they were all done while alive. Some were done in life, some postmortem from the fall on the rocks. They were multiple. Most notable was the torn left ear. There were hemorrhages and hematomas on the brain. The latter were done in life, the hematomas can't be done postmortem. They could, however, bring about death in the days and hours to come. Even the attempted strangulation, had the pressure continued, could have resulted in death. There were no personal effects on the body that could have helped us with identification. The tattoo was an identifying feature. Marks on the rest of the body were present on the torso and were postmortem."
Coroner: Topaloudi was alive when she was thrown into the sea
The coroner testified that the cause of death was drowning and this indicates that Eleni Topaloudi was thrown into the sea alive, probably in a semi-conscious state: "There were findings of drowning. The head wounds, as I said, could have been potentially fatal. But there was no time, drowning intervened. Also, these head injuries are detected when there is a reduced ability to react. It is possible that the person was in a semi-conscious state."
Chairman: Could a person lift it?
Witness: The strongest man in the world, yes, he could. It is difficult to handle the body of a person who loses consciousness. It wasn't just lifting her. It's not impossible for a man to do it, but if a man did it, there would be scars. There were no such marks. It seems to have been carried in the hands. There was not the slightest thing on the body. No rubbing on any surface, and indeed the body was naked.Coroner: Topaloudi was raped, tortured in an extremely inhumane way
The coroner was asked if he found any findings indicating that the student was raped, and replied that she was definitely tortured and that she was the victim of an extreme, inhumane behaviour: 'I cannot know that. That the injuries were multiple indicates torture to say the least. You torture the other person like that, even if you don't want to kill them. There is no consent to death. All of this was probably done by two people. A punch, a strangulation can be done by one, but you have the big picture. This multiplicity that increases the likelihood that more than one person is involved.
Chairman: The presence of so much blood all over the place, in the bathroom, in the room, what does that tell us?Witness: A characteristic of head injuries is a great loss of blood. The fact that the blood was in different places shows that it was something that lasted longer than what we call a moment, as there was movement.[BR]Chairman: Does it show that there was a fight?[BR]Witness: This particular case shows an extreme inhuman behaviour, there was no trace of humanity. To take a body and throw it away? There was no consent, any sexual act that results in death cannot have consent.
The testimony of the Coast Guard officer
The Coast Guard officer, Thomas Zovas, who was in charge of the investigation, testified in court. He referred to the security cameras that "betrayed" the defendants.
"We went to the scene of the crime. Only someone who knew the area well could have known the area, which is terribly rough. From the cameras it seemed that only two cars were passing by that day. One such car could be seen in the video underneath Eleni's house, and that's where the case started to unfold," the witness said, adding. At first he cooperated very little. We went together with the 24-year-old to the house of the 26-year-old (this is the Rhodian defendant). He was not there, we were told that he was at his father's carpentry shop. I went to the carpentry shop, only the father was there, who was not cooperating at all, so I brought him in. The mother was talking to us at first, but then she broke off communication. In the process the father was pressed and so we got to Manolis, however they were not cooperative at all."
The port officer testified about what the 24-year-old eventually told him. "We went to the spot, although he didn't know the route well, and after a lot of trouble we found the cliff where they threw her. He told me they threw her away together and then returned to clean the house. There we found a plastic cut bucket where they had thrown the girl's clothes, but some items were left on the rocks. We searched and saw that the 26-year-old's grandmother lived under the house."
Chairman: Do you think he heard anything?[BR]Witness: As we saw, there had been a massacre. Certainly there had been a terrible commotion. I am talking to you about difficult situations, torture. The bra was not removed from her body because there was no consent of the girl. Her clothes were torn, they were not folded to one side. It's a traffic light as to what happened. The girl was pressured to have sex with both of them, she resisted and was crippled."
Accused: I will accept responsibility
At today's hearing, for the first time since the start of the appellate court, the 24-year-old accused was also present. "I came to tell you the truth as the events happened. I will accept my responsibility. I came with all due respect to your court to tell the facts as they happened. There was this delay, but the counsel I had originally appointed did not have time to study the file," he said.
President: A month and he didn't have time?[BR]Accused: That's what he told me.[BR]President: However, confessing the truth is one way of making restitution.[BR]Defendant: Yes, I want to cooperate with your court.[BR]President: We'll see.
The defendants' side submitted a request that the fellow students of Eleni Topaloudi testify at the trial and that the victim's e-mail correspondence be retrieved.
The court reserved, and rejected the 26-year-old's request to undergo a psychiatric expert examination.
Source: iefimerida.gr
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