The Mixed Jury Court imposed a total sentence of 11 years on the 70-year-old who killed his 41-year-old son with a hatchet, last October, in the area of ​​Menemeni, in Thessaloniki.

The judges, regular and jury, unanimously found him guilty of manslaughter, illegal carrying and use of a weapon, with the recognition of the mitigating factor of sincere remorse, thanks to which he avoided a life sentence. The appeal was decided not to have a deterrent effect on the execution of the sentence, with the result that the 70-year-old will return to prison.

According to the indictment, the 70-year-old inflicted 18 wounds with a hatchet on his son’s head, injuring him fatally. According to the forensic findings, his son’s death was attributed to brain injuries. After his act, the self-confessed child killer tried to end his life by taking pills.

The crime was discovered when the 41-year-old’s mother returned to the apartment to find her son in a pool of blood and her husband unconscious next to him.

As emerged from the hearing before the Criminal Court, father and son often quarreled because of the latter’s drug addiction.

“That morning he asked me for money to buy drug pills. I gave him 20 euros […] He returned later with a box of pills. Then he asked me for 2,000 euros to buy more pills to sell in Samothraki” the accused said in his apology, presenting his own perspective of the events.

As he reported, when he refused to give him more money, the 41-year-old attacked him with a crutch, hitting him on the head, where he had an old wound.

Then, as reported by his advocates, the elderly man “blurred”, grabbing the hatchet with which he beat his son to death. “I didn’t know what I was doing. When I realized I killed him I took the pills to leave with him,” he apologized.

He had been admitted to the Hospital “G. Papanikolaou” where he remained for hospitalization. He was asked to apologize a month later when his health condition allowed and he was remanded in custody.

Since then he has remained a temporary prisoner.