In Vorizia, Municipality of Phaistos, in the heart of Crete, silence has covered everything after the bloodshed that cost the life of a woman and a man, known and respected in the local community, whose funeral will most likely take place today.

Behind this new killing, which has shaken the island, lies a story of many years, a vendetta that never died out, despite attempts at reconciliation and the “sasmos” peace traditional rituals that were attempted from time to time.

Two families, with differences and open accounts, lived for decades with an unquenchable hatred. One side accused the other of collaborating with the police, and that in the past they were responsible for the pre-trial detention of their relatives. Suspicion, pride, and the deeply rooted village code of honor fed their hostility.

The spark that rekindled the fire was the sale of a house. The property belonged to a member of one family, who decided to sell it to a person from the rival side – who did not actually live in the village.

This deal was considered betrayal. The house, which the seller’s relatives wanted to keep for “their own person”, became the apple of discord.

The night before the killing, the house was blown up with dynamite. No one was injured, but the symbolic act of destroying the house marked the beginning of a new bloody phase in the conflict.

The next morning, in a remote area near the village, the man was hit by a barrage of Kalashnikov fire in an ambush. He didn’t have time to react. The perpetrators executed him in cold blood and vanished, leaving behind a community drenched in fear and anxiety over retaliation.

The victim, Fanouris Kargakis, is described by fellow villagers as an elderly man, a livestock farmer, whose “word was a contract.” Despite his light criminal record and old trouble with the justice system, he was respected in his place — a man who valued honor and keeping one’s promise.

Recently, they say, he had been trying to settle his legal issues and “calm the waters.” He didn’t make it. Police maintain a strong presence in Vorizia, fearing new incidents. The village is split in two, while the respected elders of the place are already trying to mediate a “sasmos” that would stop the continuation of bloodshed. Most, however, believe that the evil is not over.