“The sun had not yet set for good and the night had not taken the place of the day, when on May 5, 2020, the glow and light in Maria's eyes went out forever from a fraternal shot, the day that turned 21 , while he was still receiving phone calls and messages with wishes for many years “… With these words the Permanent Criminal Court of Larnaca began reading the sentence – catapult against Elias Harpa, 24, from Klaudia, Larnaca, whom he sentenced to 25 years in prison for the deliberate murder of his 21-year-old sister. This is one of the largest sentences handed down by a Cypriot court in a homicide case. The untold family tragedy happened in the living room of the Harpa family home. According to the court, the accused, while holding his military rifle ostensibly to clean it, at some point turned it at the place where his sister was sitting (nearby). After marking, he shot and the bullet hit the unfortunate Maria to death in the temple. Imposing the 25-year prison sentence, the Criminal Court stressed the insistence of the accused to hit the butt of the rifle on the floor to arm and bring a complete wedge and at the same time to place a cartridge in the rifle chamber, in order to mark and shoot his sister.
“It was a cold execution, which ended the life of the victim, when in the prime of her life, carefree, she happily accepted the wishes and happy birthday for her birthday, while she was flooded with happiness and the fact that in a few months “She would give birth to a new life by fulfilling her desire to give birth and then hug her child with her fiancé, with whom from that night they would live together in the latter's house”, the decision notes.
Furthermore, the judges of the Criminal Court point out that the victim had no opportunity to react to protect her life, since the accused, in the way he acted, left no room for his sister to understand what he had in store for her. “This is an unthinkable crime. “As a natural protector of his sister as she should have been, her executor concluded”, the Criminal Court concludes. The court also notes that the relationship between the 24-year-old and his sister was not good and that the accused did not have the best feelings for her.
