26 September 2024, 1:30 PM
In a stunning development, Perry Kouroumblis, a 65-year-old dual citizen of Australia and Greece, has agreed to be extradited back to Australia to face charges related to the notorious 1977 Easey Street murders in Collingwood. Kouroumblis was apprehended at Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci Airport, almost five decades after the brutal killings of Suzanne Armstrong and Susan Bartlett.
The Victoria Police Homicide Squad had been investigating the case, which shocked the local community and raised questions for decades. Kouroumblis remains in custody in Italy but has consented to return to Australia for legal proceedings.
Federal Attorney General Mark Dreyfus commented on the case, stating, “I do not comment on extradition matters,” emphasizing the importance of legal protocols in such sensitive cases.
The tragic murders occurred on January 13, 1977, when Armstrong, 27, and Bartlett, 28, were found brutally stabbed in their Easey Street home. The case captivated and horrified Victorians, particularly within the local Greek community, where both women were well-loved figures. Their heinous deaths were described by Neos Kosmos as a “barbaric murder of two women—known and loved by many Greeks.”
Initial reports indicated that both women had been sexually assaulted, though later investigations confirmed that only one had been. Their families were devastated; Armstrong’s 16-month-old son was found unharmed in his cot when police arrived.
Reports reveal that Kouroumblis had long been a suspect in the case, with speculation mounting after he fled to Greece in 2017 when asked to provide a DNA sample. The Victorian police even offered a $1 million reward for information leading to an arrest in the case.
Former detective Peter Hiscock, who was involved in the original investigation, expressed his shock upon learning of Kouroumblis’s arrest, highlighting the limitations of investigative techniques available at the time. “It was a different time,” he remarked, recalling the lack of modern forensic tools.
As Kouroumblis prepares for extradition, the community reflects on the lingering impact of the murders, which left scars that have persisted for generations. The case remains a haunting reminder of the past, and many hope that justice will finally be served.
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