Two teenagers have confessed to the fatal stabbing of a popular 51-year-old folk singer following a dispute over a cocaine transaction, Greek police have said.
By Yiorgos Sombolos
The suspects, ages 17 and 18, were arrested hours after the body of Giorgos Tsitoglou was discovered in the stairwell of a triplex residence in the Kaminades neighborhood of Karditsa. According to investigators, the 17-year-old admitted to delivering the lethal blows, while the 18-year-old was detained as an accomplice.
The confrontation reportedly escalated shortly before noon on Saturday when Mr. Tsitoglou, who had arranged to meet the pair to purchase drugs, claimed he did not have the money to pay.
Mr. Tsitoglou, a father of a minor daughter and a well-known performer at local festivals and venues, suffered multiple stab wounds to the chest and abdomen.
Police recovered a knife believed to be the murder weapon on nearby Karagiannopoulou Street. Forensic experts from Thessaloniki and a medical examiner from Larissa spent Saturday night processing the crime scene, utilizing security footage from a neighboring home that captured the suspects fleeing the area.
"The victim had been struggling with personal challenges following a recent divorce but was attempting a professional comeback," a relative told investigators.
Mr. Tsitoglou had recently begun dating a fellow performer and was reportedly at the residence to meet a woman when he contacted the suspects.
The two teenagers face felony charges of premeditated homicide and weapons violations.
They are scheduled to appear before a public prosecutor at the Karditsa courthouse Monday morning.
The case has shocked the local community, where Mr. Tsitoglou was a fixture of the regional music scene, and highlights growing concerns over juvenile involvement in violent narcotics trade in central Greece.