Youngsters go on trial for Alex murder
The trial of five schoolchildren accused of killing 11-year-old Alex Meshivili in Veria, northern Greece, in February 2006, is due to start at a juvenile court in Thessaloniki today. The five children – three Greeks, a Romanian and an Albanian – who are now aged 14 to 15, face charges of murder and desecrating the dead. The 17-year-old brother of two of the children will also stand trial with the group. The children’s parents and one of their grandparents will be tried in different courts. According to a lengthy investigation, the children appear to have argued with Alex and pushed him over during a fight. The 11-year-old is thought have hit his head on some steps and then died. The youngsters are believed to have hidden Meshivili’s body for two days and then dumped it in a local river.
