The local community of Drama and the entire country are watching in shock as new details emerge surrounding the latest femicide in Greece. Forty-five-year-old Antigoni was laid to rest in Kato Nevrokopi, in the Drama regional unit on Wednesday, with her sister delivering a powerful message: “Silence kills, and abuse is not a private matter.”
Left behind are two children—a university student and a high school student—who lost both of their parents in a single night.
At the same time, questions about whether the crime could have been prevented continue to mount.
“I Told Her to Change the Locks” — What the Victim’s Psychologist Revealed
Antigoni had sought help from a private counseling psychologist in February, attending online sessions after her husband began making intense threats when she told him she wanted a divorce.
According to the specialist, the 51-year-old’s controlling behavior was evident.
“He insulted her and belittled her. She had no place in that relationship. He repeatedly threatened to kill himself if she didn’t take him back, saying he couldn’t bear being away from her.”
The psychologist said he had urged the 45-year-old to change the locks on her home, consult a lawyer, and notify the police. During their final session, Antigoni told him she had verbally informed her police department about the threats and had requested a transfer in order to create some distance between them. However, she never filed an official written complaint.
Pressure From Those Around Her: “They Told Her to Save the Marriage”
A serious allegation made by a close friend of the victim sheds light on the social pressures the 45-year-old faced, pressures that may have prevented her from leaving the situation sooner.
According to her friend, both a priest and specialists whom the couple consulted discouraged her from ending the marriage.
The priest’s intervention: “She went to a priest, and he told her, ‘Don’t get divorced. Save your marriage, and if you get divorced, things will be even worse.’ I was furious. That wasn’t the priest’s role,” her friend said.
Visits to psychiatrists: The couple reportedly visited two different psychiatrists together, one in Drama and another in Thessaloniki, at the request of the perpetrator. According to the friend, they also encouraged her to continue trying to make the marriage work.
The Medical Confidentiality Loophole and the Service Weapon
At the center of criticism is the handling of the case by the Hellenic Police and the fact that the perpetrator still had access to his service weapon, which he used to take his own life after killing his estranged wife.
It emerged that the 51-year-old, who was buried later that afternoon in his home village, had privately consulted a Hellenic Police psychologist twice. The psychologist had only recently joined the force. The perpetrator reportedly suffered from severe stress and panic attacks related to the separation.
The psychologist referred him to a private psychiatrist for medication but concluded that there was no reason for concern from the department’s perspective.
Due to medical confidentiality rules, the Hellenic Police were never informed about the officer’s mental health condition.
The Police Response on Weapons and Complaints
For its part, the Hellenic Police attributes its inaction to strict protocols and bureaucratic procedures. According to police sources, because the 51-year-old had successfully passed the required psychometric evaluations and there was no official written complaint of domestic violence against him, there was no legal basis for removing his firearm.
Despite being directly threatened by her husband just two weeks before the killing—with a loaded gun inside her home—Antigoni chose not to file a complaint, reportedly in an effort to protect his career and shield their children from public attention.
That decision, combined with gaps in the system, ultimately proved fatal.
