Nineteen witnesses will be called to give evidence over the alleged stabbing murder of two young women in their home almost five decades ago.

Perry Kouroumblis, 65, is accused of murdering the pair and raping Armstrong between January 10 and January 13, 1977, in the notorious cold case known as the “Easey Street murders”.

Kouroumblis faced Melbourne Magistrates Court today via a video link.

“Yeah I can,” he responded when Magistrate Brett Sonnett asked if he could see and hear the courtroom.

During the hearing, Kouroumblis’ lawyers sought to have 21 witnesses examined in an upcoming committal hearing, which will assess their evidence before a magistrate decides if the case should proceed to trial in a higher court.

Crown prosecutors opposed the cross-examination request for four witnesses, arguing that they had already given statements of their recollections to the police.

But Sonnett ruled two witnesses, former police officers who were first on the scene, “are appropriate” to be cross-examined.

Kouroumblis is yet to enter a plea to the charges.

He will return to the court on October 27 for a committal hearing over six days, when he will hear the evidence of 19 witnesses which will be tested.

Kouroumblis, a dual Greek-Australian national, had been living in Greece since 2016, but a 20-year statute of limitation on the initiation of murder charges prevented him from being arrested.

He was arrested on an INTERPOL red notice after travelling to Italy before being extradited to Australia in December to face the charges.