In 1977, two women were murdered in Melbourne, Australia. The case went cold when authorities had no suspects and made no arrests. The Easey Street murders traumatized the people of Australia. Their murders have been described today as “one of the most barbaric and sadistic sex murders.” Several decades later, the man suspected of brutally killing those young women has been arrested in Italy. Perry Kouroumblis is a 65-year-old man with dual Australian-Greek citizenship. He would have been 17 years old at the time of the murders. He is maintaining his innocence and intends to fight these charges.
Easey Street Murders
Suzanne Armstrong and Susan Bartlett were in their late 20s, living together in a rental home at 147 Easey Street. Armstrong was a single mother to her 16-month-old son, and Bartlett was a schoolteacher. The night of the murders, Bartlett had family visiting, but they left around 9 p.m. In the following days, their neighbors became suspicious since they could see their puppy roaming around outside. They also heard Armstrong’s son constantly crying. Finally, three days later, the neighbors entered the home to find the baby boy unharmed. However, they also found the women’s bodies, which were stabbed several times. This heinous crime became known as the Easey Street murders.
It was reported that Armstrong had 29 stab wounds, while Bartlett was stabbed 55 times. Armstrong was found dead on her bed, showing clear signs of being raped. There was no sign of forced entry, but the two repeatedly left their back door unlocked. The investigation of the Easey Street murders continued for weeks before they found Kouroumblis in possession of a knife matching their DNA. He claimed to have found the knife on the train tracks nearby. He was only 17 at the time and lived a few blocks down from the women’s home. He became a person of interest but was never formally charged for the Easy Street murders.
Case Reopened
The Easey Street murders case ran cold, and Kouroumblis continued to live his life. In January 2017, Australian authorities reopened the case to test for DNA evidence. With new technology, they were able to get better results from those connected to the case. They had contacted Kouroumblis to undergo a DNA test, which he agreed to. However, he did not show up for testing. Instead, they had found he traveled to Greece for a “short holiday” and refused to return. Authorities made a breakthrough when a DNA sample from one of Kouroumblis’ close relatives connected his DNA to semen discovered beneath Armstrong’s body.
The only reason Kouroumblis was not extradited sooner was due to Greece’s unique law. In Greece, charges must be laid within 20 years of an offense. By the time they reopened the case, four decades had already passed. His public defender, Serena Tucci, told The Age, “He was certainly surprised that he had been arrested. He told me he came to Italy for professional reasons, work-related reasons.” He claimed to have been in distress over his arrest and was confused as to why he had not been arrested sooner. He plans to cooperate with authorities to be extradited and to clear his name in the Easey Street Murders.
Final Thoughts
The Easey Street murders became known as Melbourne’s most prolonged and most notorious cold case. Perry Kouroumblis is currently being held in the Regina Coeli prison in Rome. He has agreed to be extradited to Australia. Authorities have been waiting for him to leave Greece, where he had been living. He was put on an international watch list so they could arrest and extradite him immediately. As soon as he landed in Rome, he was arrested. His public defender told The Age he did not expect to be arrested. Kouroumblis’ decision to agree to extradition could significantly shorten the time required for him to face charges and appear in court in Australia.
