Australian homicide squad detectives are on standby to travel to Rome, as a comprehensive brief of evidence on the 1977 Easey Street murders has been sent to Italian authorities.
According to the Herald Sun, a decision on whether suspect Perry Kouroumblis will be extradited for the murders of Suzanne Armstrong, 27, and Susan Bartlett, 28, may be reached as early as next week.
The detailed brief, prepared by homicide detectives, was first sent to federal Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus before being relayed to Rome, ahead of the 45-day deadline that began with Mr Kouroumblis’ arrest at the airport two months ago.
The file was submitted despite Mr Kouroumblis indicating he would not contest extradition. There was initial speculation that he might be back in Melbourne by late October.
The investigation had progressed significantly before his arrest in Rome on September 19, after he arrived from Greece, where he had lived since 2017. Extradition would have been more challenging had he stayed in Greece, as he holds dual Greek-Australian citizenship.
Homicide squad investigators are prepared to fly to Rome on short notice, and Mr Kouroumblis’ willingness to return may expedite the process.
A previous brief on the murders at the Collingwood home of Ms Armstrong and Ms Bartlett was compiled for an inquest held months after the crime. This updated version includes DNA evidence and other information unavailable to the original investigators.
At the time of the murders, Mr Kouroumblis, then 17, was found with a knife in his car, which he claimed to have found on railway tracks near the crime scene.
In 2017, Mr Kouroumblis left Australia after being asked for a DNA sample by cold case investigators. He was arrested in Rome two months ago, where he remains in Regina Coeli prison, known as one of the city’s toughest.
Mr Kouroumblis’ family denies he left Australia to evade the investigation, and he has consistently maintained his innocence.
Source: Herald Sun
