Μake us preferred on Google Laboratory analyses have reportedly detected three substances — atropine, scopolamine and caffeine — in food and water seized from the home of a 41-year-old Greek military doctor who that his former wife systematically poisoned him over a period of 18 months.
The findings come from tests conducted by the toxicology and forensic medicine laboratories of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA). According to information presented in the case, the substances were found in samples of honey, oats, pepper and water.
Atropine was reportedly detected at a quantity of 136 milligrams, described in the published information as potentially lethal. Scopolamine, also known as “devil’s breath,” can affect the central nervous system and cause confusion, disorientation and hallucinations.
Caffeine was also identified. Investigators are examining whether it may have been used alongside the other substances to counteract some of their sedative effects.
Lawyer says charges could be upgraded to attempted murder
The doctor’s lawyer, Anastasia Kerchanatzidou, said the laboratory findings could lead to the charges against her client’s former wife being upgraded to attempted murder.
Speaking on the television program Hamogela kai Pali, she described the combination of substances as a “cocktail of death,” arguing that consuming all of them — or even a fraction of the detected amounts — could have been fatal.
Kerchanatzidou said her client had experienced symptoms and side effects not only during encounters outside the home but also inside his residence. She said he believed someone had entered the property and repeatedly contaminated his food and water.
The lawyer also said a separate criminal case had been opened concerning earlier incidents involving the doctor and his former wife’s parents. According to her, the doctor had previously reported threats, verbal abuse and attempts to damage his car tires, as well as interference with his ability to see his child.
She further claimed that her client had been hospitalized in intensive care and admitted to a psychiatric clinic three times. Kerchanatzidou said she believed other substances may have been involved in earlier incidents, pointing to what she described as elevated opiate levels in blood test results following his intensive care admission. These claims have not been independently established in the information provided.
Separate complaint to address risk to child
The lawyer said she had been instructed to file an additional complaint concerning the exposure of the couple’s 3½-year-old child to dangerous substances.
The food and water in which the substances were detected were kept in the family home and could also have been consumed by the child, she said.
A separate case file has already been opened over previous incidents of violence and harassment involving the accused woman and her parents. Kerchanatzidou also said her side had asked the court to prohibit the woman from contacting her client by phone or text message, alleging that she continued to send him messages intended to manipulate him.
Doctor says laboratory findings confirm his suspicions
In comments to Hamogela kai Pali, the 41-year-old doctor said the results were what he had expected after experiencing the effects of what he described as systematic poisoning for a year and a half.
“For a year and a half, I experienced the consequences and side effects of systematic poisoning, eventually ending up intubated. Today, I am literally alive by a miracle,” he said.
He added that he had been waiting for confirmation from the competent forensic laboratories and that the matter was now in the hands of the justice system.
“My only concern is my child, for whom I must find the strength and courage to continue my life, so that I can finally provide a stable environment of love and care for their healthy physical and psychological development,” he said.
The allegations remain subject to judicial investigation.
