Husband of dead wife remanded after hospital release
A 48-year-old murder suspect has been remanded for a further six days on Saturday, a day after being released from the Athalassa psychiatric hospital police said.
The man is the main suspect in the murder of his ex-wife in Tremithousa, Paphos.
The murder occurred on June 14, and the man was taken to hospital three days after the killing. Police said that after being released from the psychiatric facility on Friday, the man was arrested, and appeared in court earlier on Saturday, when he was remanded for six days.
The 48-year-old had after the murder been taken to Paphos general with injuries to his stomach, he sustained after fighting with his ex before she died.
At the time, neighbours said they had heard the pair arguing violently at the woman’s apartment. At some point the fight became physically violent, and the man is accused of stabbing his wife to death.
Under circumstances that are still being investigated, the woman, 41-year-old Petya Krateva, was either thrown out or fell off the apartment balcony.
She was pronounced dead upon arrival at Paphos general hospital.
Neighbours said that they had attempted to contact the police as soon as the fighting started, but they had difficulty getting through to the correct department, which delayed the arrival of officers.
Alphanews shared a screenshot of an individual who had called police four times to no avail. “After it was all over, they got here,” the person said.
Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis ordered an investigation into the femicide to establish whether there was police delay in response to the incident which happened in broad daylight alarming neighbours who said they had tried repeatedly to get in touch with authorities.
Hartsiotis offered his assurance that if the investigation proves that there was negligence on the part of the police, those responsible will be held to account.
In the meantime, two officers have been placed on suspension in the context of a disciplinary investigation which covers a total of seven police members.
According to police spokesman Christos Andreou the preliminary report of the investigating officer appointed last week indicated further investigation was in order.