« larknet : He was having a "breakdown". People everywhere have breakdowns and they don't clutch their children and jump off of 4th story balconies, and have no guilt whatsoever.I think that's a bit too sweeping a statement - there aren't really a lot of hard and fast formulae for what people do and don't do when undergoing a breakdown. I'm not disagreeing with your general sentiment here, I just don't think that helps the rest of your statement any.
I think the reason he was deemed not guilty was because the charge was premeditated murder. Premeditation requires that you planned to murder and in this case he didn't. It was an "act of passion" on his part.
It does seem a strange charge to go for in the circumstances.
That doesn't excuse it, I consider it more a technicality. Some lawyers will up the charge even though the chance of getting a conviction will be lessened. A lesser charge with a lighter penalty and a better chance of conviction is dismissed for whatever reason (possibly greed or profile or prestige). This is very sad. I do feel bad for the father, even if it is miniscule. He went on vacation to reconcile his family and now he wont have anything.
I too have some sympathy for him - I think there is a truth to what he says about the court not being able to do to him anything worse than he is already going through with the knowledge that he killed his son, but bear in mind that is not being released to go about his business. He has been sent to a psychiatric hospital for an indeterminate period. Whilst probably not the worst in the world, Greek mental institutions don't have a reputation as places of comfort. And unlike prisons, if they want to they can keep him there until the day he days if they think it fitting.
Most likely his life is pretty much over now.]]>