South African Man Who Plagiarized Wife’s Eulogy Accused Of Hiring Men To Kill Her

Christopher Panayiotou appears at a court to face a murder charge in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, Monday, May 4, 2015. Panayiotou has been charged with his wife’s murder, days after local media reported that the h... Christopher Panayiotou appears at a court to face a murder charge in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, Monday, May 4, 2015. Panayiotou has been charged with his wife’s murder, days after local media reported that the heartfelt eulogy he delivered at her funeral was plagiarized, police said on Monday. (AP Photo/Judy de Vega) MORE LESS

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A South African businessman accused of hiring men to kidnap and kill his wife in a sensational murder case is expected to appear at a bail hearing on Wednesday.

A court in the South African city of Port Elizabeth will consider whether Christopher Panayiotou can go free pending his trial for the murder last month of schoolteacher Jayde Panayiotou.

The businessman denied the charges.

Panayiotou, 28, delivered a moving eulogy at his wife’s funeral before his arrest. He later said the eulogy was not his own and that he lifted passages from a tribute on the Internet.

Some South Africans have compared the Panayiotou case to the trial of Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius, who killed his girlfriend, and Briton Shrien Dewani, who was acquitted of murdering his wife.

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