A 67-year-old man was fatally stabbed Saturday night in a rural area of southeastern Crete, in what police are investigating as a case of fratricide that has left the village reeling.

The killing took place shortly after 8 p.m. on Feb. 14 inside the brothers’ family home in a small village in the municipality of Viannos, a mountainous district south of Heraklion, the island’s largest city.

Authorities said a heated argument between the two men, ages 63 and 67, escalated into violence.

According to information emerging from local media reports, the dispute may have begun earlier in the day and intensified as the evening progressed. By late night, investigators say, the confrontation turned deadly.

The 63-year-old allegedly stabbed his older brother multiple times with a knife. The injuries were severe, reportedly striking the carotid artery and the abdomen, leading to the 67-year-old’s immediate death.

Paramedics from Greece’s national ambulance service arrived at the scene along with police officers. Despite what officials described as strenuous efforts to revive him, the victim died at the scene.

The 63-year-old was arrested shortly afterward and taken into custody. A homicide case file has been opened against him, and he is expected to appear before a public prosecutor in Heraklion.

Vehicle at the Scene

Journalists from local outlet neakriti.gr visited the house where the stabbing took place. A black 4×4 vehicle parked beside the property was identified in reports as belonging to the 63-year-old suspect.

The presence of the vehicle outside the family home placed him at the scene at the time of the fatal incident, according to the same reports.

Police arrested the 63-year-old shortly afterward. He remains in custody, and a homicide case file has been opened against him. The case is expected to be referred to the public prosecutor in Heraklion.

Brothers Living Together Amid Tensions

Residents said the brothers had been sharing their family home in recent months after one of them recently moved back to the village due to personal circumstances. The victim had been living there permanently.

Villagers said tensions between the two were apparent from earlier in the day on Saturday, with witnesses describing arguments that appeared to intensify as the hours passed. Although authorities have not confirmed the cause of the dispute, initial reports suggest that a routine disagreement may have triggered the confrontation that turned deadly.

Sources added that the 63-year-old was allegedly under the influence of alcohol at the time of the stabbing, a detail investigators are examining as they work to establish the full circumstances of the case.

A Village in Shock

In Martha, a small agricultural village where residents know one another well, the impact has been profound.

Since Saturday night, a heavy silence has settled over the community, with closed doors and shuttered windows reflecting the shock of a tragedy.