Garifallia Murder Trial: Interruption and Claims of Cover-Up

The trial for the murder of Garifallia Psarakou in Folegandros in July 2021 continued at the Aegean Court of Appeal. The defendant, her partner, is seeking mitigating circumstances, while in the first instance court he was sentenced to life imprisonment for manslaughter in a calm state of mind.

Garifallia's mother stated that the defendant is invoking mental illness to justify his act. "His parents are covering up a crime that he has already confessed to," she said.

The trial was adjourned and will continue in early December.

According to the perpetrator's testimony, Dimitris Vergos, the murder took place after an argument during a vacation in Folegandros. Vergos claims that Garifallia gave the wrong directions, which annoyed him. An argument ensued, and according to Vergos, he pushed her off the cliff.

In his statement of defense, Vergos states that from the age of 23 he began to have hallucinations and paranoid ideas.

The forensic examination showed that the victim had bruises and injuries, and the death was caused by drowning.