A woman charged with bludgeoning to death a lonely 69-year-old Melbourne widower – possibly with a can of mangoes and a statue of the Virgin Mary – has instead accused an intellectually disabled woman he was paying for sex.
Katia Pyliotis, 35, is on trial in the Supreme Court of Victoria for the 2005 murder of Elia Abdelmessih, who was found in his East Kew home with the bottom half of his body mostly undressed.
Mr Abdelmessih, who lived in a ‘pigsty’ according to Pyliotis’ defence barrister Chris Dane QC, was also found with his face in a red plastic bowl with his nose, mouth, eyes and left ear submerged in blood-stained fluid.
Elia Abdelmessih (pictured), 69, was discovered face down in a bowl of water dressed only in a shirt and underpants
The court was told the can of mangoes was dented and the statue had a piece broken off – with blood stains on both.
But a glass vase, two wrenches and a ceramic ornament could have also been involved in the brutal murder.
The victim’s house showed no signs of forced entry and his wallet was missing.
Pyliotis was only connected to the murder in March 2016 when she gave a saliva sample to police after being caught driving an unregistered car, and her DNA was matched to the crime scene.
Her blood was found at several locations inside the victim’s home and inside an insulated left glove that had a tear inside it.
As a 23-year-old back in 2005, Pyliotis worked at Kew McDonald’s, which Mr Abdelmessih would visit several times a day.
But Mr Dane said the real perpetrator was a now-deceased, intellectually disabled, alcoholic woman Mr Abdelmessih had been paying for sex.
Sue Reddie was investigated by police in 2005 after she claimed she was involved in Mr Abdelmessih’s murder.
However, the case against her was dropped due a lack of evidence and the absence of her DNA at the crime scene.
Ms Reddie died of natural causes in 2012.
Mr Dane says Pyliotis attended the scene after the attack and had simply ‘tried to help a dying man’.
Mr Abdelmessih was found dead o a bloodied statue of the Virgin Mary (stock image)
Crown prosecutor Andrew Tinney said Pyliotis at first denied knowing the murder victim, but later said she remembered the ‘old man’ who ‘was just a bit lonely’, for his visits to McDonald’s and his ‘big blue beasty car’.
While in custody, Pyliotis was recorded during phone calls with her mother and sister, claiming ‘even if I did do it, I can’t remember’, ‘I should have reported the death when I found him’ and ‘when I found him, he was well and truly gone’.
The trial continues.
A police handout photo of a damaged, blood-covered black glove found at the home of retired postal worker Elia Abdelmessih’s house
Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.