Too big’: weapon found in accused’s car was ruled out

A knife found in the car of a man accused of fatally stabbing two women nearly half a century ago was not initially thought to be the murder weapon, a court has heard.

Past and present police members were arraigned in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Monday over the murders of Suzanne Armstrong, 28, and Susan Bartlett, 27, at 1977 Easey Street.

Perry Kouroumblis, 66, was extradited from Italy in December 2024 to face two murder charges and one rape charge following DNA testing developments that allegedly linked him to the scene of the crime.

Former homicide detective Peter Hiscock told his trial that he vividly remembered going to the Collingwood home on January 13, 1977.

Mr Hiscock described what followed three hot days in Melbourne as a “horrific scene” that led to the victims’ bodies “decomposing”.

He told the court that a pathologist was present during the autopsy, which determined Miss Bartlett had suffered 55 stab wounds and Miss Armstrong had 29 stab wounds.

Crown Prosecutor Zubin Menon previously told the court police spoke to Kouroumblis in nearby Hotham Street on January 14 about a knife found in his car.

Kouroumblis allegedly told police he found her outside Victoria Park train station, also in Collingwood.

Under questioning from Kouroumblis’ lawyer Dermot Dann KC, Mr Hiscock said the pathologist initially thought the knife was not the murder weapon.

“From what I remember, he thought it was too big and too rusty,” he said.

“This was not the first autopsy I attended… I may have gathered this information later.”

Mr Hiscock left the homicide squad in 1979 and the police altogether in the early 1980s, but worked as a private detective for a further 33 years.

The shameful murders were his only unsolved case, and he remained interested.

In June 1988, Mr Hiscock spoke to another detective as part of an open case investigation and named former crime journalist John Grant as the “primary suspect”.

Grant had stayed at the Easey Street home of neighbor and former sportscaster Ilona Miklosvary (formerly Stevens) on January 10, and was linked to another murder at the time, the unsolved murder of Julia Ann Garciacelay.

Grant was never charged in connection with Ms. Garciacelay’s death.

Mr Hiscock’s suspicions were based on Grant’s presence at the scene of each murder, but he was later refused permission to fly to New Zealand to interview Grant.

The defense probed another former homicide detective, Colin Favre’s, recall of others allegedly involved with Barry Woodard, who was with Ms. Armstrong, and Ross Hammond, who was with Ms. Bartlett.

Mr Woodard visited the house the day before the bodies were found and left a note with his phone number. Mr Hammond, however, told detectives that he “climbed into the bedroom window” while the discovery was nearby.

Mr Dann read the police information report which suggested Mr Hammond’s story “lacked any genuine belief and appeared to be trying to justify his actions”.

“He didn’t see the bodies. That might have been possible, but it certainly didn’t make sense,” Mr. Dann said in the memo.

The possible tarnishing of evidence taken from the scene was the focus of repeated questioning by Mr. Dann.

Detective Senior Constable Sally McCurrach told the court the items collected were kept in a large, sealed plastic bag.

He examined the 17 items in August 2015 and said they were each found in separate bags, but “the blades were confusing” and the others were recorded as missing.

Mr Hiscock, Mr Favre and police officer Terry Purton, who was the first to arrive at the home, told the court they were not wearing gloves at the scene.

Officers were accused of urinating in the backyard of the house but Mr Purton said he had never encountered such behaviour.

Kouroumblis denies any involvement in the murders and will appear before magistrate Brett Sonnet on Tuesday to decide whether there is enough evidence for the ongoing case.