Nicosia police is investigating the alleged beating of Loizos Tzionis, the prime suspect in the murder of a Strovolos couple last April.
Prison authorities reported that Tzionis was beaten by his cellmate on Saturday, December 1 after an argument about the ongoing murder trial.
The fight started after the cellmate reportedly accused Tzionis of lying to court and of trying to shift the blame on the other three suspects in the case.
After the incident, prison authorities asked Tzionis whether he wanted to be taken to hospital but he refused. According to philenews, he has scratches on his body.
Tzionis’ cellmate is not involved in the murder case.
The murder trial resumed on Monday with the cross examination of sergeant Loizos Siammoutis, interrogator in the case.
The victims, George Hadjigeorgiou and Dina Sergiou were found stabbed to death at their home in what police said was a botched robbery. Their teenage son who had been locked in a cupboard managed to free himself and seek help from the neighbours.
Tzionis and three other defendants — Lefteris Solomou,  Sarah Siance and Marios Hadjixenophontos have all pleaded not guilty to seven charges including premeditated murder, conspiracy to commit a crime and kidnap.
Siamoutis said that Tzionis had first implicated the brothers Andreas and Elias Charalambous in the murder saying they had asked him to suggest a place for them to burgle. They had threatened him with a gun, obliging him to give information about the couple in Strovolos.
Later, Tzionis changed this and said Marios Hadjixenophontos had murdered the teacher and his wife. He later again changed his story, pinning the murder on his half-brother Lefteris Solomou.
Read more:
https://in-cyprus.com/news/local/double-murder-trial-tzionis-confession-due-to-substance-deprivation-says-defence/
