Thessaloniki man sentenced for killing parents

A 45-year-old man was sentenced on Thursday to two life terms and seven years by the Mixed Jury Court of Thessaloniki for burning his 87-year-old father to death using gasoline, while his 81-year-old mother also died a month later from severe burns.

The incident occurred last year on Easter Sunday in the Thessaloniki apartment where the perpetrator lived with his parents and his 46-year-old brother.

The court unanimously found him guilty of intentional homicide and arson, without recognizing any mitigating factors.

The 45-year-old described his relationship with his father, a retired soldier, as problematic.

“We had no contact, he was indifferent,” he said, adding that his father spoke disparagingly to him and his brother. “We were afraid of him,” he said.