Investigations continue into the murder of 43-year-old Eleftheria Giakoumaki in Heraklion, Crete. Police are convinced that her former partner, who took his own life, is the person who shot her in the chapel of Agios Panteleimonas and then transported her body to Agia Varvara.

All pieces of the puzzle point to the conclusion that the woman fell victim to her ex-partner, who, when he realised the net was closing in on him, turned a sawed-off shotgun on himself and pulled the trigger. According to information from protothema.gr, police found a letter the deceased had written two months earlier to his brother, in which he recounted his life and revealed that he had attempted suicide three times. According to the same sources, he had requested that the letter be opened only in the event of his death, and it was found sealed by the police.

The 38-year-old, on the day he committed suicide, had communicated with his partner, who asked to meet him, but he refused, claiming he was under too much pressure. At the same time, authorities are investigating reports of a diary kept by the former partner of Eleftheria.

He had placed a GPS on Eleftheria’s car
According to reports, the 38-year-old is said to have gone so far as to install a GPS device on the victim’s vehicle in order to monitor her every movement. This element is part of a broader pattern of pathological jealousy that, according to testimonies, characterised his behaviour both during the relationship and after the breakup.

According to findings from the Hellenic Police investigation, the murder of the unfortunate Eleftheria took place on Sunday morning (19/4), between 11:00 and 11:10, during a meeting with the alleged perpetrator near the chapel of Agios Panteleimonas in Daphnes.

The 38-year-old is said to have approached the woman’s white Honda, stood in front of it, and shot her in the head with a 9mm pistol, which has not been found, while she was in the driver’s seat. He then moved her body to the back seats of the vehicle.

Fifty minutes later, around 12:00, he was recorded by security cameras walking on foot along the Heraklion–Moires provincial road. From there, he called a taxi and went to his home in Malades.

He then got into his Smart car and returned to the chapel in order to conceal evidence of the crime. He took the victim’s car and drove to Agia Varvara. He entered a field behind a petrol station and hid the vehicle with the body inside.

Closing
He was then recorded at 13:13 in the afternoon on camera calling a taxi and returning to where he had left the Smart, namely the chapel of Agios Panteleimonas in Daphnes, Heraklion, where he had met Eleftheria. He got into the Smart and left.

“Safe journey to the light”
At the same time, the local community of Crete remains shocked by the brutal murder of the 43-year-old Eleftheria. Indicative are the messages from friends on social media, who are bidding her farewell, expressing deep sorrow but also anger over her loss.

“Everyone who knew you will remember you as you are smiling in the photo you have on your profile—irony is that it was taken exactly on the same date last year as the day you were taken from your children. Safe journey to the light,” one friend writes. A tragic irony is that the photo in question had been taken exactly one year before the murder.

Another friend writes: “Ritsa is dead. Because someone did not learn to accept ‘no’… Violence escalates… Everything is violence.” She also appeals to women experiencing abusive behaviour to seek help, listing support hotlines.