The 41-year-old man accused in the fatal stabbing of a paramedic on the island of Syros has been placed under house arrest after the investigating judge and prosecutor disagreed on whether he should be held in pretrial detention.

Earlier Tuesday evening, following the lengthy testimony of both the suspect and his 30-year-old wife, who was inside the house at the time of the fatal incident, the woman was released under restrictive conditions.

The conditions prohibit her from leaving Greece and require her to report to her local police station on the first day of every month.

Earlier in the day, both defendants completed hours of testimony before judicial authorities. The case has drawn widespread attention on the island, while relatives and friends gathered on Tuesday, July 28, to bid a final farewell to the 42-year-old paramedic.

“I Acted in Self-Defense”

During his testimony, the 41-year-old maintained that he acted in self-defense.

According to his account, he was holding a knife because he had been eating and cutting cheese when, he claims, the incident occurred. He also said that immediately afterward he followed the 42-year-old outside the house.

He told investigators that when the woman collapsed a short distance away, he approached her and lifted the hood she was wearing to see who she was. He claimed he initially thought she was someone he knew and said he was shocked when he realized it was the 42-year-old paramedic.

The Defense’s Claims

In his testimony, the defendant also claimed that the paramedic initially approached his 30-year-old partner while holding a knife before turning toward him and attempting, he alleged, to stab him in the neck.

“At that point, I twisted my arm and struck her from behind,” he is reported to have told judicial authorities.

He further claimed that the 42-year-old believed his partner was home alone and had approached the front door to listen to what was happening inside the house. He said he was eating at the time and insisted there was no conversation she could have overheard.

Meanwhile, attorneys representing both defendants cited surveillance footage which they argue shows that the 42-year-old’s jacket already bore a mark from the knife wound as she exited the house.

The defense says the footage contradicts the victim’s family’s claim that the fatal stab wound was inflicted shortly before she collapsed in the street.