Easey St accused killer Perry Kouroumblis agrees to extradition back to Melbourne
Accused Easey St killer Perry Kouroumblis has agreed to be extradited back to Melbourne, but has told Italian investigators he was not involved in the notorious crime. WATCH THE VIDEO
Police & Courts
Don't miss out on the headlines from Police & Courts. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Accused Easey St killer Perry Kouroumblis has agreed to be extradited back to Australia despite maintaining his innocence over the notorious double murder.
The Herald Sun can reveal that the 65-year-old Greek and Australian dual citizen remained silent during questioning from inside his Rome jail cell on Monday amid plans to extradite him back to Australia, except to say he was not involved in the crime.
It can also be revealed that he requested to speak with one of his brothers while being interrogated by Italian authorities during a remote, court-supervised hearing which he attended via video link from inside his Regina Coeli prison cell.
Speaking exclusively to the Herald Sun from her chambers in Rome, Mr Kouroumblis’ public defender Serena Tucci said the accused murderer had given his consent to be sent back to Victoria and did not plan to contest the move.
“Perry proclaimed himself innocent, and very importantly gave his consent for extradition (and) this was the central point of the interrogation,” Ms Tucci said.
“During the interrogation Perry exercised his right of non-answer, so he did not report any useful information about the occurrence.
“He asked about his brother. He wants to talk to his brother.”
It is not clear whether he wanted to speak with his brother Tony, who lives in Bulleen in Melbourne’s east, or Andreas, his brother who lives in Greece.
It is understood that Mr Kouroumblis has remained in “good condition” inside the packed jail.
Ms Tucci said she would visit him in the coming days to make sure he fully understood the extradition process.
“Perry must understand what is happening to him because the consent to extradition is irrevocable,” she said.
She said that the Italian Minister of Justice would within 45 days work with Australian authorities to arrange Mr Kouroumblis’ extradition.
“Before Christmas, the case should be closed, unless there are obstructive reasons, which the office of the Italian Minister of Justice must now examine,” she said.
“Giving consent greatly facilitates the extradition process.”
The Herald Sun understands that Victoria Police is planning to extradite Kouroumblis in November.
Mr Kouroumblis is the prime suspect in the 1977 Easey St murders, when Benalla friends Suzanne Armstrong, 27, and Susan Bartlett, 28, were stabbed to death inside their Collingwood home.
He was arrested at a Rome airport last week after flying in from Athens but no charges have been laid over the double slaying.
Aged 17 years old at the time of the murders which shocked Australia, Mr Kouroumblis left Melbourne for Greece in 2017 after homicide detectives asked him to provide his DNA to compare with a sample left at the crime scene.
But an Interpol red notice was issued for his arrest after a sample from one of his close relatives linked his DNA to semen found underneath Ms Armstrong’s body.
Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton on Tuesday said detectives from Victoria would travel to Italy in about four weeks’ time to give evidence in an Italian court.
Victoria desperately needs 1000 new cops as vacancies soar
More than 1000 police jobs in Victoria sit empty, with a surge in officers quitting the force in the past two months.
Read more
Loved ones of man found dead in Yarra River remember ‘gentle soul’
Friends of a Clyde North man whose body was pulled from the Yarra River have told of the “massive hole” left in their community, remembering him as a “gentle and cheerful soul”.
Read more