A Paphos District Court has extended the custodial detention of a 58-year-old man for eight days, as police continue to build a case against him for the fatal stabbing of 26-year-old Alexandros Antoniou. The suspect, whose daughter had reportedly filed a harassment complaint against the victim just hours prior, has admitted to involvement in the killing, which he characterized in court as a spontaneous act born of a "bad moment." The judicial order, issued approximately a week after the initial arrest, underscores the ongoing and complex nature of the investigation.
The tragic sequence of events unfolded on the evening of 19 November outside a kiosk on the main road in Konia. According to evidence presented by the Police Prosecuting Authority, closed-circuit television footage captures a chilling timeline. Antoniou parked his vehicle at 6:16 p.m. Four minutes later, the suspect approached, opened the car door, and, after a brief confrontation, delivered a fatal knife wound to the victim’s neck. The footage further shows the alleged perpetrator subsequently washing his hands at an outdoor sink behind the kiosk before departing the scene.
The victim was rushed to Paphos Hospital and later transferred to a private medical facility in Limassol, where he succumbed to his injuries two days after the attack. Meanwhile, the suspect was swiftly identified and taken into custody. He later accompanied officers to a rural area near Tsada, where he indicated the location of the alleged murder weapon. In statements to authorities, the man claimed he had "blacked out" and produced the knife only after Antoniou reacted to his verbal admonishments. A witness account corroborates the motive, stating the suspect told the victim **"he had warned him not to harass his daughter."**
Legal representatives Maria Papadimitri and Takis Simmilides, appearing on behalf of lawyer Elias Stephanou, are managing the suspect's defence. The court’s decision to renew the detention order was based on the prosecution’s argument that significant investigative work remains. Authorities have compiled CCTV evidence and witness testimonies but report a substantial backlog, including approximately 50 more depositions to record. Additionally, investigators must analyze telecommunications data, examine vehicles, and review further video footage from the vicinity.
The case presents a stark narrative of vigilantism ending in tragedy, with a father’s protective instinct allegedly culminating in a lethal assault. As the legal process grinds forward, the suspect remains behind bars, his detention subject to repeated extensions as the police inquiry progresses. The death of Alexandros Antoniou has not only initiated a rigorous judicial proceeding but also cast a pall over the community, raising difficult questions about conflict resolution and the severe consequences of taking the law into one’s own hands. The Paphos police have indicated that the case is far from concluded, with forensic and digital analysis poised to play a decisive role in the forthcoming legal hearings.