TBILISI, November 15 – A 62-year-old man has been placed in pre-trial detention, accused of killing a married couple in a dispute over an apartment.
The victims were shot with an automatic firearm outside their home on Kosmonavtebi Street in the Georgian capital last Wednesday. Both died at the scene. Police arrested the suspect shortly afterward.
According to the case outlined by Interpressnews, the killings followed a property dispute that had lasted about four years.
The couple had bought an apartment belonging to the suspect’s sister at auction, but she had remained in the property. The sides had been negotiating over the issue for years.
The couple were shot dead on November 11, hours after a final round of talks over the apartment broke down. The suspect’s sister was due to be evicted from the property the following day.
At a hearing in Tbilisi City Court, prosecutors asked for the suspect to be kept in custody while the case proceeds. Judge Levan Gelovani granted the request.
The man has been charged with the intentional killing of two people under aggravating circumstances, as well as illegal acquisition, possession and carrying of a firearm and ammunition.
If convicted, he could face up to 20 years or life in prison.
