The father of the 27-year-old Cretan man who confessed to raping and killing American biologist Suzanne Eaton, has apologised to her family through a letter released to the press.
In the statement, he expressed that he was shocked by his son's actions which caused the death of Eaton and asked the media to spare his daughter-in-law and grandchildren the publicity.
Greek police identified the suspect of the accused crime, Yiannis Paraskakis through a tweet on Thursday. He is currently in custody and has been charged with the rape and murder of the American scientist who disappeared on July 2 while attending a conference near Chania and whose body was found six days later in an abandoned underground storage site used during World War II.
Paraskakis admitted to hitting Eaton twice with his car before abducting her, then raping and murdering her.
The full letter is as follows:
"As a human being and a priest, and entirely in agreement with the prevailing sentiment, I am devastated at the heinous and appalling way one of our fellow humans lost her life, even more so that the perpetrator of this crime is my own child. I want to express my sincere condolences to the family, husband and children of the hapless American woman Suzanne Eaton. I hope God provides them strength and comfort. As long as I live, I will pray to the Almighty to rest her soul.
On the other hand, as a father, I cannot not stand by my child during this difficult time, even if he committed such a serious crime. I would like to apologise to the family of the hapless woman, my fellow villagers, all Cretans, and the Greek and global public opinion. Now it is the turn of Greek justice. This isolated incident cannot in any way describe the peace-loving, honorable and welcoming residents of a country, a people and a nation. I also beseech you: For what happened, the perpetrator's wife and young children bear no responsibility; please respect our own pain at this time. Just like the family of Suzanne who died tragically, so shall we from now on and from here die an emotional and moral death every day."
*Image source- Eurokinissi
