![](\"https:\/\/www.financialmirror.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/DOC.20230712.5236324.diamartiriathanasi1.jpg\")
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A forensic specialist from Greece on Friday provided testimony in the ongoing investigation into the death of Thanasis Nicolaou, saying she is confident that the conscript was strangled to death by a left-handed person.<\/p>\n
Dr Dimitra Karagianni, a forensic pathologist, supported her findings based on photographic evidence from the case files and images of Nicolaou himself, presented before the court.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am absolutely certain that Thanasis\u2019 death is due to strangulation,\u201d she told the court.<\/p>\n
Karagianni, responding to the court\u2019s request, provided detailed forensic findings, emphasising an observation of the hyoid bone that revealed signs of severe traumatic injury consistent with strangulation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis discovery strongly suggests that Nicolaou\u2019s death resulted from asphyxiation inflicted while he was alive,\u201d she told the court.<\/p>\n
Addressing state pathologist Panicos Stavrianos\u2019 report, who initially concluded that Nicolaou\u2019s death was a suicide, Karagianni mentioned reviewing it and consulting literature, indicating that fractures in the specific location of the hyoid bone are indicative of strangulation.<\/p>\n
The pathologist illustrated forensic parallels by showcasing photographs from medical literature depicting similar strangulation cases.<\/p>\n
Athena Dima, the family\u2019s legal representative, questioned Karagianni about the consequences of strangulation. Karagianni highlighted the typical presence of haemorrhagic conditions and visible bruising in such fatalities.<\/p>\n
Notably, she pointed out specific bruising on Nicolaou\u2019s neck, suggesting that the assailant must have been left-handed, a detail crucial to the ongoing investigation.<\/p>\n
However, Karagianni\u2019s testimony contradicts another forensic pathologist, that of Emmanuel Agapitos, who raised concerns about a possible life-born injury.<\/p>\n
In a previous court session, Agapitos emphasised the microscopic examination of plaques containing Nicolaou\u2019s hyoid bone, noting a 3mm long defect in the left horn.<\/p>\n
The forensic pathologist had stated that, \u201cwe are not sure about a life-born lesion, but neither can we rule out that it could have existed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Agapitos acknowledged the absence of haemosiderin granules, indicating a living injury, but noted that their non-detection does not exclude the possibility that it existed and was absorbed over time.<\/p>\n
The examination occurred 16 years after Thanasis Nicolaou\u2019s death.<\/p>\n
Facing questions about the cause of the hyoid bone deficit, Agapitos responded cautiously, saying that no conclusions could be safely drawn, \u201cnot with certainty.\u201d<\/p>\n
The case of Thanasis Nicolaou\u2019s death was reopened 16 years later after his mother, Andriana Nicolaou, had relentlessly insisted that her son had not committed suicide, but was murdered after stumbling on a drug ring in his army camp.<\/p>\n
The soldier\u2019s body was found under a bridge in Alassa, Limassol, in September 2005, about 12 kilometres from his home and barracks.<\/p>\n
At the time, authorities were convinced that Nicolaou had committed suicide, but police had not questioned all his fellow army comrades, despite the victim reporting being bullied.<\/p>\n
In February 2021, the ECHR ruled that authorities had botched the investigation into his death.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The forensic specialist from Greece testified that she is confident that Thanasis Nicolaou was strangled to death by a left-handed person. She based her findings on photographic evidence and the observation of severe traumatic injury to the hyoid bone. The specialist mentioned that fractures in that location are indicative of strangulation. She also pointed out specific bruising on Nicolaou’s neck, suggesting the assailant was left-handed. Another forensic pathologist raised concerns about a possible life-born injury but could not draw any conclusions. The case was reopened 16 years later after Nicolaou’s mother insisted he was murdered. The ECHR ruled that authorities had mishandled the investigation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":2532,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[652,653,3,263,654,572,73,24,655,184,656],"class_list":["post-2531","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cyprus","tag-army","tag-conscript","tag-cyprus","tag-drugs","tag-forensic","tag-injury","tag-life-society","tag-limassol","tag-national-guard","tag-police","tag-thanasis-nicolaou"],"acf":{"keyphrase":"","keywords":"","sourceimg":"","country-category":""},"yoast_head":"\n