In her testimony, Myrto’s mother described her daughter as a modest and kind girl who was studying to become a laboratory assistant at a vocational institute (IEK) in Argostoli.

“My little Myrto was a modest, kind child, a church-going child, an animal lover, a homebody. She didn’t go out much, only walked her dog every day, she didn’t drink alcohol. When she finished high school, my husband and I didn’t want her to go to Athens to study because we were worried about the dangers and crime of a big city. We didn’t tell her directly so as not to influence her. Through our family discussions, and because she always listened to us and said we were the best parents, she herself decided to stay in Kefalonia and continue her studies here. Since she loved the healthcare field, she was also thinking of becoming a social worker. I wanted to give her the best, to have degrees; I told her education cannot be taken away from you. We decided she would study laboratory assistant at the IEK in Argostoli. This was her first year; she had one more year left, then internship. She was very happy with her school.”

She added that Myrto was always accompanied by her father to and from school, and had only one close friend. She had recently started seeing a boy, with whom she had met about ten times in total.

“I knew she was going out with her boyfriend”

The mother testified that on the night of Easter Monday she knew her daughter was going out for a normal walk with her boyfriend, with no indication anything unusual would happen.

“On Easter Monday around 21:55 we were all at home when Myrto came out of her room and asked if she was dressed nicely. I knew she was going out with D., but her father didn’t know about the relationship; he was very strict. I left for my night shift at the hospital at 22:00. As I was leaving, I saw D.’s car outside the house, waiting for Myrto, but I didn’t speak to him.”

She described the father as overprotective and said Myrto had a very strong emotional bond with him.

Last communication and the trans acquaintance

The mother also spoke about her last conversation with her daughter and a trans person Myrto had been in contact with, who was with her on the fatal night.

“I didn’t know S.T. at all. I had only seen him twice on video calls when Myrto was speaking to him. He wore a hood, had painted lips and eyes, and Myrto told me he was a boy who dressed as a woman. I trusted Myrto completely; we had no secrets.”

She said she believes Myrto was innocent and was manipulated.

“I believe they wanted to sexually exploit her, film her to blackmail her. My child had no involvement with drugs, she didn’t even drink. If she took drugs that night, she was forced or they put something in her drink.”

She also claimed she was later told that Myrto had argued on social media with the trans person, who allegedly had sworn to kill her.

“I believe he did not come to the island for Easter, but with a plan. He convinced Myrto to book a room. Myrto had no money of her own. I believe he persuaded her to book the room in her name so his details wouldn’t appear. Maybe she didn’t understand what was happening at that moment.”

She described their last messages:

“At 02:27 a.m. I texted her ‘I love you very much’ and she replied ‘Mom, I’m out, we booked a place with S.T.’ I asked her ‘With whom?’ She said ‘my friend.’ I told her I love her and to be careful. At 02:51 a.m. was our last exchange. I had no idea anything bad would happen.”

How she learned her daughter had died

She then described the moment she was informed of her daughter’s death.

“The next morning I was at home when I received a call from a hospital nurse who told me to come immediately but wouldn’t say why. I rushed there. I realized something was wrong when I saw their faces. I was given sedatives. I asked them to save my child, I said they should take my heart and give it to her. I ran to my child. I remember their frozen expressions and them saying ‘unfortunately…’ but I couldn’t believe she was gone.”

“She didn’t even have her own bank account”

She also stated that Myrto did not have her own bank account and used her mother’s.

“She was a co-holder of my account. I could see all her transactions. After her death, I saw a transfer of 220 euros. Myrto knew I could see everything, so she would have had to justify it to me. I don’t know if she was persuaded or if she wasn’t in a state to understand what she was doing.”