A 41-year-old man has been placed under house arrest y in connection with the fatal stabbing of a paramedic on the island of Syros, while his wife was released under restrictive conditions following a marathon day of testimony, judicial sources said.
The house arrest order stands pending a ruling from the Council of Misdemeanor Judges, which will reconvene after prosecutors and the investigating magistrate failed to agree on the appropriate measure Tuesday.
The court also ordered the surrender of the man's passport or equivalent travel documents.
Testimony from the couple was delayed after the investigating magistrate requested an additional crime-scene reconstruction and extensively re-examined a witness who saw the confrontation and helped the man restrain the victim.
Both the man and his wife maintained they acted in self-defense.
According to state broadcaster ERT, the wife said she could not tell whether the 41-year-old paramedic, whose face was covered, was a man or woman upon entering the home, while her husband, in the dining room at the time, said he ran toward the commotion after hearing screams, threw objects at the victim and ultimately stabbed her — an account partly captured on security camera footage.
The victim's family disputes that account. Their attorney said Tuesday that medical and video evidence show the fatal blow was "highly aggressive" rather than defensive, noting the victim spent only seven seconds inside the house — not enough time, she argued, for the defensive maneuvers described by the suspect.
The family's statement said footage shows the man pursuing the victim with a knife after an initial thrown chair narrowly missed her.
Authorities continue investigating the exact sequence of events during those seven seconds.