Larnaca district court on Thursday renewed for another eight days the remand of a 23 year old man who is in custody as a suspect in the manslaughter of his sister.
Maria Harpa, 21, was shot in the head as she was sitting at her home in Klavdia.
Her brother says he was cleaning his army issued G3 when it went off by accident.
He had initially said that he had gone to an army exercise, that his weapon had jammed and officers had told him to clean it.
The Defence Ministry clarified that there are no army exercises because of the coronavirus outbreak. The suspect later said that he had gone to the army camp, but not for an exercise.
Philenews reports that ballistic checks have shown that the G3 does have a problem.
It adds that the front brakes of the victim’s car had been severed with cutters and that the suspect had reportedly admitted to tampering with them because he claims his sister had slashed the tyres of his car.
The Cyprus News Agency reports that police have taken 106 statements from friends and family, neighbours, his workplace and the army camp.
Police also searched his house and car and took away a number of items for tests. They also obtained a court order to access the suspect’s telecommunications.
The suspect has given three statements to police – with CNA reporting that he had completely changed his account of what had happened in the last one — and has visited the scene with police.
Police are also looking at CCTV and are waiting for a report on the family from the social welfare office.
