A man believed to be responsible for the brutal murder of two women in Australia almost 50 years ago has been apprehended in Rome on an international arrest warrant, as reported by Italian news agency ANSA on Saturday.
The 65-year-old suspect, holding both Greek and Australian citizenship, was taken into custody at Rome’s Fiumicino airport on Thursday upon arrival from Greece, ANSA disclosed.
Reports suggest that the man resided in Greece and was shielded by the country’s statute of limitations, as per Australian media.
On Saturday, Australian authorities announced their intention to initiate the extradition process for the suspect, with the schedule to be determined by Italian courts.
The suspect stands accused of the murder of two acquaintances, Suzanne Armstrong aged 27, and Susan Bartlett aged 28, in a stabbing incident that shook Australia in January 1977.
The bodies of the two women were discovered in their rented dwelling on Easey Street in Melbourne, while Armstrong’s 16-month-old son remained unharmed in his crib in a separate room, both victims had been stabbed multiple times.
The incident, known as the “Easey Street murders,” went on to become Melbourne’s most enduring and severe cold case, with no arrests made until now.
In 2017, Victoria Police offered a $1 million reward for information leading to the capture of the perpetrators. Breakthroughs in forensic technology that year resulted in a revelation in the case, prompting the suspect to become a fugitive after authorities requested a DNA sample from him.
