Cyprus serial killer to face life sentence for murdering 7 women and children from Philippines, Romania, Nepal
- Nikos Metaxas, 35, pleaded guilty to a raft of charges, including kidnapping and the murder of five women and two girls
- The army officer said he could not explain what drove him to kill, and asked for a psychiatric assessment to uncover the reasons
A Greek Cypriot army officer pleaded guilty on Monday to seven counts of premeditated murder in a serial killing case that has shocked the Mediterranean island.
Nicos Metaxas, 35, was led into a Nicosia court under heavy security and stared grimly at the ground as a prosecutor read out a string of charges, including kidnapping and the killings of five women and two of their daughters – all foreigners.
Holding back tears, he pleaded guilty to the accusations one by one.
After the prosecutor read a long document detailing his crimes, Metaxas, who faces life in prison, read out a short handwritten statement apologising to his victims.
Cypriot society will be wondering how one of its members reached this point. I have also asked myself why; I have not yet managed to find an answer.
He told the three-judge criminal court he “doesn’t have any clear answers” why he committed the killings and that he has “struggled” to figure out the “why and how”.