Man arrested in Italy for double murder in Australia in 1977: police

SYDNEY – A 65-year-old man was arrested in Rome for the 1977 murder of two women in their Melbourne home, Australian police said Saturday.

Police said they would seek the extradition of the Australian-Greek citizen in connection with the stabbing murders of 27-year-old Suzanne Armstrong and 28-year-old Susan Bartlett.

Victoria state police declined to comment on a report in The Age of Melbourne that the suspect had been linked to the crime through a DNA sample from a relative.

According to the newspaper, the man had been living in Greece, where he was protected by the statute of limitations there.

Police said he was arrested and taken into custody at an airport in the Italian capital on Thursday evening.

“For over 47 years, Homicide Detectives have worked tirelessly to identify those responsible,” said Victoria Police Commissioner Shane Patton.

“The Easey Street murders, as they were called, were always a top priority for Victoria Police,” he said.

The bodies of the two women were discovered with numerous stab wounds in their home on Easey Street in Melbourne on January 13, 1977. Armstrong's then 16-month-old son was found unharmed in his crib.

“This was a crime that deeply affected our community – two women in their own home, where they should have felt most safe,” Patton said.