The situation in Crete remains tense following the brutal murder of 21-year-old Nikitas Gemistos, which shocked the entire country. Yesterday, amid an atmosphere of grief and sorrow, the funeral service was held at the Church of Agia Kyriaki in Chonos, Mylopotamos, with a large crowd of relatives, friends, and local residents paying their final respects to the 21-year-old

It is recalled that the tragedy unfolded on Tuesday afternoon (May 5), when 54-year-old Kostas Parasiris shot 21-year-old Nikitas in cold blood, believing him responsible for his son’s death in a traffic accident.

Tension at the funeral with police forces

As reported yesterday, the presence of a heavy police presence in the area during the funeral, intended to prevent any tensions, sparked reactions from the family of 21-year-old Nikitas.

Angry relatives of the victim asked the police to leave the village, expressing their disappointment that the authorities had failed to protect him. In fact, the 21-year-old’s sister approached the Hellenic Police officers, demanding that they leave. “You came now that they’ve killed him,” they shouted.

Incidents at the 21-year-old’s funeral – Family attacks police

In a social media post a few hours after the funeral of the unjustly lost Nikitas, which she accompanied with a photo of them, Katerina Gemistou, the 21-year-old’s sister, wrote: “Heaven has gained an angel… but I, I have lost my world… have a safe journey into the light, my love, you left and left me here alone, but I hold no grudge against you because I know you will watch over me from up there. I love you, see you soon, my boy…"

The 54-year-old perpetrator and his wife are in jail

Meanwhile, both the 54-year-old suspect in the murder, Kostas Parasiris, and his 56-year-old wife were remanded in custody yesterday after completing their statements before the investigating judge and prosecutor. The 54-year-old is accused of the brutal murder of 21-year-old Nikitas Gemistos, whom he shot six times in the middle of the street on Tuesday afternoon, before subsequently turning himself in to the authorities.

The proceedings took place under strict security measures at the Heraklion Police Headquarters and were kept out of the public eye due to concerns about potential tensions and reactions. The hearing lasted several hours, and the decision to remand the defendants in custody was announced in the afternoon. According to reports, the two defendants are expected to be transferred to prisons outside Crete.

The charges facing 54-year-old Parasiris are serious, with the primary charge being intentional homicide committed in a calm state of mind. What has not yet been clarified and is under investigation is the role played by his wife. Specifically, reports are being examined according to which the woman allegedly verbally urged the perpetrator to shoot the young man.

At the same time, there are witnesses who say that during the panic, they saw the woman in her husband’s car and that she did nothing to stop him. For her part, of course, the defendant denies that she was aware of her husband’s intentions, claiming that they encountered the victim by chance and that she tried to stop her husband by shouting “No, no.”

“A black veil had clouded my mind”

“At that moment, I saw nothing in his face but the murderer of my son. I wasn’t myself. Besides, the real Kostas had been gone for a long time. I had no control over myself, my thoughts, or my behavior. A black veil had covered my mind,” the 54-year-old reportedly claimed, among other things, in his defense.

For her part, the perpetrator’s 56-year-old wife, who was in the vehicle with her husband at the time of the fatal attack, stated that she felt powerless to react. She explained that she shouted at the 54-year-old to stop, but it was already too late. She described her husband as “a different person,” emphasizing that during the act he was not in touch with reality.

“The only thing I remember is that I managed to scream, ‘Kostas, no, no, no!’, but it was already too late. The images I saw will remain forever etched in my memory. All I have to say is that the man who killed my late husband was not my Kostas. He was a different person. He didn’t even look like my Kostas. He was a madman, an unclean spirit, out of touch with reality.”

He had attacked 21-year-old Nikitas before

The fact is, however, that the killer had been showing his intentions for quite some time. It was in late December 2024 when the 21-year-old went to the Malevizi Police Station, reporting that on December 26, 2024, around 3:00 a.m., the perpetrator, wearing a hood, approached him outside his home and inflicted bodily harm by striking him with a wooden stick on his arms and legs. He then fired a shot at him with a gun, without injuring him.

The 54-year-old was then sought out and arrested in flagrante delicto. The competent prosecutor was notified, who referred him for preliminary questioning; restrictive conditions were imposed on him, and subsequently, after his appearance before the prosecutor, he was released.

The rest of the story unfolded on March 4, 2026, at approximately 7:30 p.m. The 21-year-old Nikitas went again to the Malevizi Police Station and filed a complaint against the 54-year-old for Violation of a Court Order.

The perpetrator appeared at the Malevizi Police Station that same evening and was arrested. However, he was released again the next day following a verbal order from the presiding prosecutor.

What he failed to do then, he did a few days ago. He approached the 21-year-old and shot him six times in the middle of the street. And he didn’t stop there. He then kicked the body, got into his car, and drove away.

Source: Proto Thema