The two 22-year-old men accused of the double murder in Finikounda, in southern Greece’s Messinia region, have been ordered into pre-trial detention following marathon testimonies that lasted more than 16 hours.

The decision was made early Monday morning by the investigating magistrate and prosecutor, who agreed on the temporary imprisonment of both suspects until the investigation concludes.

Lengthy Testimonies and Conflicting Accounts

The defendants — a Greek-British national and his co-accused, who surrendered voluntarily — spent hours before the magistrate on Sunday, each presenting a different version of events about their role in the killings.

According to judicial sources, both men blamed each other for the fatal attack on a 68-year-old campsite owner and his 39-year-old groundskeeper. The crime took place in early October at a seaside campsite in Finikounda, shocking the local community.

The Greek-British suspect testified for around six hours, maintaining his innocence and claiming he did not enter the victims’ tent on the night of the killings. His lawyer, described the interrogation as “marathon-length” and said the magistrate “examined every detail thoroughly.”

“My client insists he is not the physical perpetrator,” he said. “He maintains that his co-accused was the one who entered the crime scene.”

Defense Claims and Ongoing Investigation

The co-accused admitted partial involvement but denied being the gunman. “My client has stated from the very beginning that he played a role as an accomplice but not as the principal perpetrator,” his lawyer said.

He added that the investigation “remains open” and that both men have presented their own accounts of what happened that night.

The Greek-British suspect’s defense further argued that the eyewitness testimony identifying him was inaccurate. “We have examined the sworn statement of the alleged witness, and it contains numerous inconsistencies,” his lawyer noted.

He also denied that his client carried or fired a weapon, insisting he “was outside on the motorcycle” while the other man acted alone.

Next Steps in the Case

The two men are now being held in pre-trial custody as the investigation continues. Authorities are still examining key evidence, including ballistic data, phone records, and security footage, to determine each suspect’s exact role in the killings.

The murders, which occurred inside a campsite tent, have drawn nationwide attention in Greece, both for their brutality and for the tangled friendship between the two young suspects — once childhood friends who grew up together in Athens.

According to both legal teams, the case remains “far from closed,” with further testimony and forensic analysis expected in the coming weeks.