Police officer coach in Drama: "He hardly came in the last six months"
The coach of the 50-year-old police officer who murdered his wife in Drama has revealed that the perpetrator had almost stopped training in recent months.
Coach of police officer who killed his wife: "I didn't see anything bothering him"
The coach of the 50-year-old police officer who murdered his 45-year-old wife — also a police officer — in Drama spoke publicly for the first time, revealing details that may shed light on the context of the femicide. According to Newsbeast, the coach himself stated that he noticed a change in the perpetrator's behaviour over the last six months.
"Basically he used to come, but it had been a very long time since he'd been here. In recent times, in the last six months, he came very, very rarely, very sporadically," the coach said on the programme "Revelations". The same period coincides, according to reports, with the time when the couple was separated.
Couple in separation — the divorce application as a trigger
Information cited by Newsbeast reports that the 50-year-old murdered his wife because she had requested a divorce. The coach acknowledged that he hadn't seen the woman in years, despite her reportedly training occasionally in the same premises.
"For as long as I knew them, from what we could see at least, yes, it was normal," he stated, describing the couple as "normal" based on the external impression he had formed. However, he acknowledged that the 50-year-old's absence from training was apparent in recent months.
"He had his own concerns, but only that much"
The coach described the perpetrator as a person who showed no apparent signs of worry in the training environment. "I didn't see anything bothering him. He had his own concerns, but only that much," he said characteristically.
This statement stands in contrast to the evidence being gathered by authorities regarding the state of the couple's marital relationship in the months preceding the murder. The separation and the pending divorce proceedings now appear as central elements of the case.
Both victims were active police officers
The case shocked Drama and triggered broader public dialogue about femicide in Greece. The victim, 45 years old, served in the Greek police — as did her husband, who went on to murder her. The 50-year-old was arrested and is in custody.
Authorities' investigations continue in order to establish whether there were any prior complaints or indicators of domestic violence before the tragedy.
Source: Newsbeast