The two physicians-cum clinic owners under investigation over the death of popular Greek singer Giorgos Mazonakis now face charges of homicide with possible intent, marking a new and significantly more serious judicial twist in the case.
The pair, Ilias Theodoropoulos and Ioanna Gaka, who are also married, had been charged with the felony offense of exposure resulting in death following Mazonakis’ collapse at their private medical practice in Athens’ upscale Kolonaki district.
The case has now moved toward the more serious homicide charge as investigators examine new digital evidence and seek to reconstruct, minute by minute, what happened inside the practice during the singer’s treatment.
At the center of the investigation are records from a plasmapheresis machine, a type of blood filtering device, which authorities are examining alongside security-camera footage, computer data, mobile phones and other seized evidence. The machine’s digital records could help establish when it was switched on and off and provide a precise timeline of the treatment.
Singer and performer Giorgos Mazonakis.
Investigators have also recovered deleted digital material, including a photograph of Mazonakis lying unresponsive on the plasmapheresis machine, while deleted entries relating to his appointments were found on the clinic’s electronic calendar. A computer search made shortly before his death is also being examined to establish whether someone sought information through an AI tool on how to revive an unconscious or unresponsive patient.
The timeline of Mazonakis’ arrival and treatment has emerged as another central issue. Investigators are examining conflicting accounts of when he arrived at the practice and how long he remained in the treatment area before suffering cardiac arrest. Security-camera material has reportedly placed his arrival earlier than the time initially given in the doctors’ accounts.
The pair appeared before judicial authorities to provide testimony over the circumstances surrounding the treatment. The possible upgrade of the charges had already been under consideration while the investigating magistrate awaited the latest findings from the police investigation.
The forensic examination has so far not established a definitive cause of death. It found that Mazonakis suffered myocardial ischemia, but toxicological and histological tests are still awaited to determine what caused the condition and the mechanism that ultimately led to his death. The results are expected to take more than a month.
The investigation is also examining the circumstances and legality of the plasmapheresis procedure itself. Authorities have questioned whether the private practice was licensed and appropriately equipped to perform the treatment, while the Athens Medical Association has said plasmapheresis is a highly specialized procedure normally carried out in hospitals or specialized hospital clinics.
Mourners gathered at the Holy Church of the Holy Trinity in Nikaia, Piraeus, for an overnight wake for late singer Giorgos Mazonakis.
Mazonakis died on Sept. 9 after suffering cardiac arrest at the practice, where he had gone for a scheduled plasmapheresis procedure. He was laid to rest on Monday. A funeral service in the Nikaia district close to Piraeus was attended by thousands of mourners.
