A man has killed his young ex-girlfriend after gunning down their 11-month-old baby in front of her eyes during a custody row.
The incident took place in the area of Lekani, Kavala, Greece, on the morning of September 20.
According to local media, the 56-year-old suspect, who has not yet been named publicly, first shot the child in front of his former partner Anna, 31.
He then reloaded his rifle and killed the young woman before turning the gun on himself.
The victim first met the 56-year-old livestock farmer after arriving in Greece from Germany, her home country.
They lived together on his farm and had a child together 11 months ago before splitting up.
According to reports, Anna was recently awarded custody of the toddler and the farmer was worried that she was going to return to Germany.
Her lawyer said she planned to travel back home to settle an inheritance matter after her grandmother’s death, but claims she had no intention of staying permanently and wanted the dad to remain part of their life.
Angry over the custody ruling and concerned that he would never see his child again, the suspect invited Anna to one of the barns on the farm to talk before allegedly gunning the pair down.
Medical examiner Nikolaos Kifnidis said the man shot the baby first, killing the infant on the spot.
He is then believed to have reloaded the single-barrel rifle and shot the young woman in the back, rupturing her internal organs including her heart, lungs and liver.
Anna also died on the spot.
The suspect then tried to kill himself twice, succeeding on the second attempt, according to the autopsy.
He tried to shoot himself in the chest first and fractured four or five ribs but missed all major organs.
It is believed that he then reloaded the rifle and placed the barrel in his mouth before pulling the trigger.
Kifnidis said it is a rare example of a gunman shooting himself twice.
The victim's mother, Elisavet Dimitriadou, told local media: “She would often go to the farm to help him, but he never paid her a day’s wages. My daughter paid everything and fed him.”
The couple’s relationship came to a head around three months ago when she lent the suspect her savings of €15,000 (£13,000) to keep his business afloat.
He was reportedly unable to pay her back and Anna was concerned that their living conditions were unsuitable for raising a young child.
The incident has shocked the local community with the farmer’s cousin telling local media: “We still can’t believe what happened. There is not one person in the village with a bad word to say about Anna.
“She always had a smile on her face and she adored her baby."
