The mother and former partner of 3-year-old Angelos were unanimously found guilty by the Heraklion Mixed Jury Court in connection with his death. The 27-year-old mother and her 44-year-old ex-partner were convicted of premeditated homicide committed in a calm mental state, under joint perpetration — according to cretalive.gr.
A Case That Shocked Crete
The case had deeply shaken the local community after Angelos was brought to hospital with severe injuries. He died several days later. Medical experts documented 32 distinct injuries on his small body — all sustained over a period of approximately two to two-and-a-half months.
Court Rulings
The court unanimously acquitted Angelos’ biological father. It also rejected — unanimously — the defendant’s claim of diminished criminal responsibility.
Both the mother and her ex-partner denied all charges. The mother insisted, “I never laid a hand on him.” The man, identified as Christodoulos, stated emphatically, “Never — absolutely never — did I hit the child.”
During the trial, the presiding judge expressed disbelief at the repeated explanations offered for Angelos’ injuries: falls down stairs, burns from an oven, slips in the toilet bowl, impacts against a protruding iron pipe from the water tank, and leg trauma caused by a toppling drawer.
The mother testified she witnessed Christodoulos hitting the boy twice but could not explain the rest of the injuries. Regarding the fatal morning, she claimed she was absent and only knew what he told her.
Christodoulos attributed the fatal blow to an accidental fall onto a low table. He, in turn, accused the mother of physically abusing Angelos on other occasions — though he admitted he wasn’t present to witness them. He cited one incident where he saw a split on the child’s lip and said Angelos told him directly, “Mama slapped me.”
Both defendants claimed — during testimony — that each was jealous of the other’s bond with the little boy.