December 2008: The Trial

The calls for justice over the murder of Alexis were a persistent theme in December. One of the causes of the revolt was the history of police violence which the murder recalled and continued. An aspect of this was the belief that police crimes rarely receive proportional punishment. In this case there was the risk that a significant part of the police, judiciary and media would rally around the story that the two officers came under sustained attack and in a life threatening situation shot into the air with only an unforeseeable deflection responsible for Alexis’ death. Once the revolt was over a key question was whether any sense of justice would prevail.

The trial of Epaminondas Korkoneas and Vassilis Saraliotis was originally set to begin in late 2009. Given the importance of the trial it was decided it could not be held in or around Athens for fear of protests. In the end it was not until January 2010 that the trial got underway in Amfissa. Having fired the shots Korkoneas was charged with intentional homicide with intent while his partner faced charges of complicity. Over the following ten months Korkoneas maintained that he fired because he believed his life was in danger, his apologies were often guarded and presented himself as equally a victim. Halfway through the trial both officers were released as they had served the maximum eighteen month period of detention.

Ultimately Korkoneas’ story did not hold up. Witnesses reported that he fired directly towards Alexis and saw little in the argument between the officers and the boys that put the lives of the two armed men in danger. Ballistic evidence also indicated that the shots were directed towards the boys. Testimony from higher ranking officers stated that the Korkoneas and Saraliotis should not have proceeded alone to force a confrontation. After 84 sessions running from February to September the verdicts were announced in October 2010. Korkoneas was found guilty of intentionally murdering Alexis and sentenced to life. Saraliotis received a 10 year sentence for complicity. Essentially the court decided that what happened on 6^th December 2008 was not an accident provoked by a large and dangerous attack on the police but an act of intentional violence by the officers.

While Saraliotis and Korkoneas were taken to prison following the sentences the story does not end there. Saraliotis served little more than a year of his sentence before being released and it was not until March 2013 that a long delayed disciplinary hearing finally saw the two dismissed from the police and the force’s payroll. As is their right the two officers appealed against their convictions starting a new process which was originally intended to begin in 2014. Due to large scale strike action among the judiciary the appeal trial took several years. Throughout the process Korkoneas maintained his prior attitude of portraying himself as a victim. Midway through the appeal in 2017 Korkoneas high-profile and controversial defence lawyer Alexis Kougias resigned following a statement from his client that he would not apologise for the death of a 15 year old anti-authoritarian.

In July 2019 the appeal trial ended with the reduction of Korkoneas’ sentence from life to 13 years and the overturning of Saraliotis’ conviction for complicity. Though still considered guilty of murder the alleged mitigating factor of a prior life without conviction allowed Korkoneas to be quickly released from prison. Naturally this decision sparked outrage and both appeals within the justice system and protests on the streets. Korkoneas was briefly returned to prison when the verdict was referred back to the appeals courts in Lamia but the mitigating factor which granted him release was ultimately upheld. Release based on prior good conduct was difficult for many people to accept. Immediately after the murder Korkoneas was portrayed as a dangerous figure and a rogue officer, a rambo of Exarcheia as he was called. Though this did not stop him being decorated and promoted by the police prior to the murder. During the trials he had never really accepted responsibility for his actions and maintained the murder was an accident that had badly affected himself. At the time of writing Korkoneas remains free having served just under 11 years for the murder of a 15 year old.

For many the early release of Alexis’ killer only confirmed an issue which was at the heart of the December Revolt. Those who reacted to Alexis’ death also had in mind a history of police violence. For every case there was a story of impunity or light treatment for the guilty police officers. This demonstrated the belief that the state looked after its own and justice is based on your proximity to power. Few will see the 11 years Korkoneas served as a just response to the murder of an unarmed teenager. Instead Alexis’ death and the treatment of his murderer will be added to the history of violence which helped provoke the revolt of December 2008.

December 2008: The Trial

Share this: