The primary suspect wanted over Melbourne’s infamous 1977 Easey Street murders is returning to Australia after being extradited from Italy.
Perry Kouroumblis, an Australian-Greek national, was detained in Rome in September on an Interpol Red Notice over the stabbing deaths of Suzanne Armstrong and Susan Barlett in 1977.
The pair were found deceased in their Collingwood share house with multiple stab wounds.
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“It was an absolutely gruesome, horrific, frenzied homicide,” alleged Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton following the arrests.
The 65-year-old was held at Regina Coeli prison in Rome while the extradition request by Victorian police was being considered by Italian authorities.
An extradition of Perry Kouroumblis could not be actioned initially due to a statute of limitations. However, the legal parameters did not apply in Italy and Mr Kouroumblis was arrested when he arrived.
Mr Kouroumblis’s Italian lawyer Serena Tucci told the ABC last month that her client was “surprised” to be arrested and did not “give any resistance”.
UPDATE: The ABC reports that Mr Kouroumblis arrived at Melbourne Airport late on Tuesday night on a Qatar Airways flight from Rome.
Police are now expected to charge Perry Kouroumblis over the alleged murders of Suzanne Armstrong and Susan Bartlett. He is expected to be formally charged with two counts of murders and one count of rape.
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