Coroner Sarah Gebert announced an inquest into the death of Greg Piperidis will begin on September 11.
The father and son who allegedly stabbed the Cheltenham man 14 times at the entrance to their Bentleigh East flat have said the fatal incident was carried out in self-defence as they feared for their lives.
According to the Herald Sun, “conflicting evidence” surrounding the death of the 46-year-old on St Georges Avenue in June 2021 will be the focus of the coroner’s investigation.
It was reported in the Coroners Court on Tuesday that Robert Hamilton and his son, tenants of the flat where the stabbing occurred, confronted Mr Piperidis and another man in the building’s basement.
Soon after Mr Hamilton’s son returned to their flat to call the police.
Three of the deceased’s relatives sat in the courtroom as the court heard the details of the case.
Homicide detectives’ investigations have not determined exactly what occurred in the lead up to Mr Piperidis’ death.
The court heard that Mr Hamilton, his son and Mr Piperidis were present in the building’s foyer by its lifts, where Piperidis was repeatedly stabbed before Hamilton returned upstairs to dial triple zero at 2 a.m. to report the incident.
An associate of Mr Piperidis who had been with the deceased at the time initially fled the scene when a car caused the complex’s security gate to open, but returned to the scene soon after and presented himself to police.
Both Mr Hamilton and his son were arrested at the scene and questioned by police, but later were released without charge.
Detectives were told by the pair that they’d stabbed Mr Piperidis in self-defence out of fear for their lives as he attempted to grab the knife out of Mr Hamilton’s son’s hands.
It is not known how or why Mr Hamilton’s son came to have the knife.
An autopsy showed that Mr Piperidis had been stabbed 14 times, with the fatal blow delivered to his chest.
He also suffered “significant” wounds to the back of his head, forehead and nape.
In his statement to investigators, Mr Piperidis’ associate said he’d seen Mr Hamilton become aggressive towards the deceased.
According to him, Mr Hamilton’s son was holding a knife when Mr Piperidis was stabbed several times.
Appearing in court via video link from his home, Mr Hamilton said he indented to be excused from giving evidence in the inquest and is currently seeking legal representation.
The coroner’s investigation will try to determine how Mr Piperidis’ death transpired, as well as the medical cause of death.
Tuesday’s hearing, as well as subsequent hearings scheduled for April and August of this year, are intended to determine which witnesses will be called on during the inquest, and what details the coroner will examine come the inquest on 11 September.
As reported by the Herald Sun, it’s understood detectives investigated various aspects of the case before referring it to the Coroners Court; including that Mr Hamilton and his son confronted Mr Piperidis in the complex’s basement as they attempted to steal bicycles.
