Appeal trial of Topaloudi murder postponed until March 15
The appeal trial of two suspects convicted by a lower court for the gang-rape and murder of 21-year-old university student Eleni Topaloudi on Rhodes in November 2018 began on Thursday but was almost immediately postponed until March 15 as one juror and a defense attorney have contracted Covid-19.
The postponement, the second in the appeal phase of the case, was slammed by the mother of Topaloudi, who started shouting “shame” towards the bench.
In an unanimous vote delivered in May 2020, the court found the two defendants – a 23-year-old Greek man and a 21-year-old Albanian national – guilty of the two crimes and sentenced them both to life imprisonment and an additional 15 years each.
The body of Topaloudi was found in the sea by the coast guard on November 28. The court heard how the two men lured Topaloudi to one of their homes, where they raped and beat her before throwing her off a cliff into the sea.
