Melbourne’s horrific Easey Street murders went unsolved for decades.
During that time, Victorian detectives kept promising Gayle Armstrong, the sister of victim Suzanne Armstrong, that they would one day “knock on her door” with answers.
That day finally came on September 19 when authorities arrested Australian-Greek man Perry Kouroumblis for the 1977 murders of Suzanne, 28, and Susan Bartlett, 27.
“It’s unbelievable,” Gayle told 9News. “But I knew it would happen one day.”
Veteran journalist Helen Thomas, who has followed the case from the beginning, tells New Idea the arrest couldn’t come soon enough.
“To think this development could happen nearly half a century after the terrible murders is a testament to the determination and dedication of Victoria’s Homicide Squad,” she says.
“[It’s also] a testament to the resilience of the families to endure so many decades, waiting for justice for the girls.”
Kouroumblis, 65, was arrested at Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci Airport after he had boarded a flight from Athens.
He’d been living in the Greek capital for several years and is expected to be extradited to Melbourne in late October.
Kouroumblis was one of 130 persons of interest at the time of Suzanne and Susan’s deaths.
On January 10, 1977, the women, who were high-school friends from Benalla, in north-eastern Victoria, were killed inside their rental home in Easey Street, Collingwood.
Single mum Suzanne was found in her bedroom with 29 stab wounds. She had also been raped.
Susan, a teacher, was found near the front door, and police believe she may have tried to help her friend. She had been stabbed 55 times, including on her arms and hands as she fought for her life.
Their bodies were discovered three days later. Miraculously, Suzanne’s crying toddler, Gregory, was found unharmed in his cot.
Weeks after the murders, a police officer stopped Kouroumblis, then 17, in his car and discovered a 10.5-inch bloodstained knife in the boot.
Kouroumblis said he found the knife at a train station. The police accepted this explanation.
The case went cold until 2017 when police began conducting DNA tests on dozens of persons of interest. According to The Age, Kouroumblis agreed to a DNA test, but then moved to Greece.
Using DNA from one of his relatives, police allegedly matched him to semen found at the crime scene.
However, no arrest could be made in Greece due to its statute of limitations laws (or legal deadline) for Greek citizens.
So, for seven years, police lay in wait.
When he boarded the flight to Rome, his passport set off an Interpol red notice. Authorities at Rome were waiting for Kouroumblis.
“It is difficult to sufficiently express our appreciation to Victoria Police,” Suzanne and Susan’s families said in a statement. “For always giving us hope and never giving up, we simply say, thank you.”
At the time of press, Kouroumblis agreed to be extradited to Australia and told a court hearing in Rome he is innocent.
