Teen killer tells court he is sorry
Epaminondas Korkoneas, the policeman charged with the murder of teenager Alexis Grigoropoulos in December 2008, yesterday expressed his sorrow at the boy’s death during testimony before a court in Amfissa, central Greece. On his first day of testimony, Korkoneas said he and his colleague, Vassilis Saraliotis, who has been charged as an accomplice, had come under attack from a group of youths three times on December 6, 2008. Korkoneas admitted to firing his gun two or three times as a warning to scare off the youths but said he did not realize that he had shot anyone until he heard about the teenager’s death a few hours later. According to court sources, the special guard sobbed while addressing the court. «Both of us are victims. He is dead and I wish I were dead,» Korkoneas said. «I can’t believe someone is dead because of me,» he added. Korkoneas and Saraliotis received conditional release in June after 18 months in custody.
