Bloody shoeprints raise doubt in Kópavogur murder acquittal

Bloody footprints from two different pairs of shoes helped lead a majority of Reykjanes District Court to acquit Georgios Ntentes of murdering Edilsson Martin Zingara in Kópavogur in November 2025, mbl.is reported.

In its 108-page ruling, the court said the prosecution had not proved that Ntentes committed the killing, although much of the evidence pointed to him. The three-judge panel split: Judge Þorsteinn Davíðsson dissented, finding the evidence sufficient to convict, while Judge Jónas Jóhannsson and forensic pathologist Þóra S. Steffensen found reasonable doubt.

The judges agreed that Zingara was murdered and that another person inflicted the fatal injuries. The defence had argued, among other things, that it could not be ruled out that Zingara had caused the injuries himself.

Bloodied shoeprints in Zingara’s apartment on Skjólbraut, in the Kársnes neighbourhood of Kópavogur, were consistent with both Adidas shoes and Nike shoes of the same or a very similar type to pairs Ntentes had owned. The prosecution argued that he attacked Zingara in white Nike shoes and later returned wearing black Adidas shoes.

The majority said key questions about that account remained unanswered, including why Ntentes would have returned and left prints from two pairs of shoes, and why he did not take two of Zingara’s mobile phones, which could have linked him to the scene. The court said the prints could also indicate that two people took part in the fatal attack. There was no evidence that Ntentes returned to the apartment after leaving on the evening of November 28.

The judges also noted that no blood from Zingara was found on clothing seized from Ntentes. Police searched his car, including the driver’s seat, floor mat and pedals, but found no blood traces. The car was dirty, with no indication that it had recently been cleaned. Investigators did find signs that blood may have been cleaned from Ntentes’s black Adidas shoes, and blood identified as his was found in several places in Zingara’s apartment.