Australian Cypriot Steve Constantinou, who was accused of murdering escort Johanna Jazzy O Martin and appears to be addicted to gambling, was found guilty of Martin’s death according to a recent decision of the Court of Melbourne.
Two incidents from Constantinou’s life were presented to the jury in order to reach their verdict. In the past he had tried to strangle his stepmother and had also embezzled thousands of dollars from his former girlfriend to gamble. The latter described him as “a dark and troubled soul.”
According to the indictment, Constantinou, 49, strangled 65-year-old Martin when she went to ask him to return the 8,500 dollars she had lent him. Afterwards, he took a piece of jewelry she was wearing and sold it to a pawnshop; he wrapped her body in a sheet and threw it in the shrubbery of Port Melbourne.
In court, he defended his innocence by claiming that the victim strangled herself during “their extreme sexual act.”
His statement to the police was full of contradictions and he told many lies. Later he apologized by saying that he was in a state of panic and did not know what he was doing.
The sentence will be announced to him probably on August 21.
Greek Reporter