Accused Easey St killer Perry Kouroumblis to face court after landing in Melbourne

·

Perry Kouroumblis is set to face murder charges nearly 47 years after the brutal 1977 killings of two women in Melbourne, following his extradition from Italy to Australia.

The 65-year-old Australian-Greek dual citizen arrived in Melbourne on Tuesday, December 3 at night.

Kouroumblis is accused of the murders of Suzanne Armstrong, 28, and Susan Bartlett, 27, who were found stabbed to death in their home in a “gruesome, horrific, frenzied homicide.” Armstrong was also raped, with DNA evidence collected at the scene.

Armstrong’s 16-month-old child was left unharmed in a cot nearby, with neighbours discovering the crime days later after hearing the baby’s cries.

Kouroumblis arrived in Melbourne late on Tuesday night. Photo: NewsWire / Jason Edwards.

Kouroumblis, who had been living in Greece, was arrested by Interpol at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport. Despite an extradition treaty between Australia and Greece, a Greek law previously prevented his arrest, as charges must be filed within 20 years of an offence.

Kouroumblis’ public defender, Serena Tucci, explained that he was unaware of Italy’s different legal requirements.

“He had no idea that there was a different law in Italy,” Tucci said. “He said he wants to come back to Australia and explain everything.”

Kouroumblis is expected to be formally charged with two counts of murder and one count of rape at a Melbourne court today. He had lived near the victims and was a 17-year-old student at the same school where Bartlett taught, but continues to maintain his innocence.

After his extradition flight from Rome, Kouroumblis was escorted to Melbourne’s police headquarters, where he spent the night ahead of his court appearance.

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

From crisis to compassion: Timos Roussos and his family’s mercy mission in war-torn Cyprus

When Turkish troops landed on Cyprus on 20 July 1974, six-year-old Timos Roussos was sitting on the floor of his family’s home in Lemesos.

A granddaughter returns: Georgia Georgiou retraces her yiayia’s occupied village in Cyprus

When Georgia Georgiou handed over her Cypriot ID at the border checkpoint to cross into occupied northern Cyprus, she felt an ache.

‘You never get over it’: A childhood shattered by the Turkish invasion of Cyprus

On a warm July morning in 1974, 10-year-old Anastasia Di Loreto (née Karatzia) was jolted awake by the sound of bombs falling on Kyrenia.

Cyprus: The paradox of tolerance and impunity for Turkey

The lack of a unified, systematic and practical strategy on the part of Greece has led the Cyprus crisis into national disarray.

Lost homes and lingering hope: Greek-Cypriots reflect on Turkish invasion and its aftermath

From hidden stories to haunting memories, two Greek-Cypriot men share what it means to carry the burden of Cyprus’ past.

You May Also Like

Greece, Cyprus and Israel to invite India to Trilateral Summit 2024

Kyriakos Mitsotakis spoke about the potential to extend the trilateral Greece-Cyprus-Israel cooperation to India at the 9th Trilateral Summit.

Marcus Stoinis crowned Big Bash League player of the season

Melbourne Stars opener Marcus Stoinis has been named the Big Bash League’s player of the tournament after topping the run-scoring charts for the season. Stoinis...

‘I was so hopeless’: Female judges describe their escape from Afghanistan to Greece

When Afghanistan fell to the Taliban, hundreds of female judges went into hiding. Twenty-six of those women escaped to Greece.