Ex-cop convicted over 2008 teen killing to be released
A former police officer convicted for the December 6, 2008 murder of teenager Alexis Grigoropoulos in central Athens is to be released after an appeals court in the city of Lamia accepted his clean criminal record up until the time of the shooting as a mitigating factor.
Epaminondas Korkoneas shot and killed 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos and was sentenced to life imprisonment. However, in July 2019, an appeals court recognized his lawful prior life as a mitigating factor and released him on the provisions of the new Penal Code, provoking a wave of reactions.
This decision was challenged by Supreme Court prosecutor Vassilis Pliotas, and the Supreme Court plenary decided Korkoneas’ unblemished past should not have been recognized as a mitigating factor. He went back to prison in March 2022.
However, the court of appeals on Tuesday accepted that his unblemished record is indeed a mitigating factor.
