After nearly 50 years, the case of the Easey Street murders has garnered new attention with the extradition of Perry Kouroumblis from Italy, who is implicated in the brutal deaths of two women in Melbourne.
Extradition of Suspect Closed Chapter on Infamous Australian Cold Case
Extradition of Suspect Closed Chapter on Infamous Australian Cold Case
Perry Kouroumblis, accused in the 1977 Easey Street murders, returns to Australia as police reinvigorate the decades-old investigation.
In a dramatic turn of events, a man suspected in one of Australia's most notorious cold cases, linked to the Easey Street murders, has recently been extradited from Italy. Perry Kouroumblis, who is now 65, is alleged to have brutally killed 28-year-old Susan Bartlett and 27-year-old Suzanne Armstrong in their Melbourne home back in 1977.
The unsolved case captivated the nation over the decades and only shifted focus to Mr. Kouroumblis in recent years thanks to advancements in DNA testing methods. He has not yet faced charges and continues to assert his innocence. Detained in Italy since September, his return to Australia is set for late Tuesday.
Kouroumblis came under police scrutiny shortly after the gruesome murders, as he claimed to have found a bloodied knife near the crime scene at Easey Street in the suburb of Collingwood. The bodies of Bartlett and Armstrong were discovered three days post their disappearance, with Armstrong's young son found unharmed in his cot.
The women had suffered multiple stab wounds, and police reports indicate sexual assault was also involved in Armstrong's murder. The case gained significant media traction over the years, inspiring multiple true crime publications and podcasts, and drawing substantial public interest. In 2017, Victoria Police even announced a reward of A$1 million for any information leading to an arrest.
Following Kouroumblis's arrest in Rome, Commissioner Shane Patton described the case as "an absolutely gruesome, horrific, frenzied homicide" and noted its profound impact on the community, who were forced to grapple with the shocking violence against two women in a place they should have felt completely safe.
The authorities had issued an Interpol red notice for Kouroumblis on two counts of murder and one of rape soon after he departed Australia about seven years before, but he evaded arrest in Greece due to legal limitations there. The victim's families issued a heartfelt statement emphasizing the irrevocable change the murders inflicted on their lives and expressing gratitude towards the police for their relentless pursuit of justice.
