Greek authorities are investigating the death of prominent criminal defense attorney Stavros Georgiou, who was found dead in his office in central Athens late Tuesday night. Early evidence suggests he suffered repeated blows to the head that ultimately proved fatal.

Investigators are focusing on Georgiou’s cell phone and are also seeking security camera footage from the area around 3rd Septemvriou Street to identify anyone who approached the location. His past cases are also being reviewed as part of the inquiry.

Police are taking statements from local residents and people close to Georgiou as they try to reconstruct his final movements, determine the circumstances of his death, and identify those responsible.

Investigators believe Georgiou had been dead for roughly 24 hours before he was discovered. He reportedly kept a bed in his office, where he sometimes slept because of a heavy workload. He was found unconscious next to it, and there were no signs of forced entry.

Timeline of the case

Georgiou had gone silent for several hours, worrying his family. His 16-year-old twin daughters repeatedly tried calling him with no answer, then went to his office and rang the bell without success.

A neighbor in the building heard them and alerted the doorman, who opened the door to find the grim scene inside.

Georgiou was found dead in a pool of blood. Initial reports indicate his body was found nude, in a fetal position, with his clothes scattered around the room.

Police found no signs of forced entry and no indication the office had been searched or ransacked.

Beaten to death

On Tuesday night, the victim’s brother arrived at the scene visibly shaken, telling reporters he too had been trying unsuccessfully to reach Georgiou since midday.

Early evidence points investigators toward a criminal act, since the victim appears to have suffered repeated, ultimately fatal blows to the head. Reports indicate the coroner found no wounds from a sharp object or firearm. Police are examining whether the injuries came from punches and kicks or from an object, and have not ruled out that he sustained additional injuries falling against furniture during the attack.

Who was the well-known defense lawyer

Georgiou was one of Greece’s most prominent criminal defense lawyers, with a long career built on high-profile cases. He gained wider recognition through his involvement in the trial of the “November 17” terrorist organization, and later represented clients in several closely watched cases, including — alongside lawyer Apostolos Andreoulakos — the family of police officer Christos Matis.

Among his most notable cases was the disappearance and killing of young Alex in Veria, and the case of four-year-old Anny, murdered by her father in 2015; Georgiou represented the child’s mother, and his defense led to her acquittal on appeal of the charge of endangering a minor.

In the Alex Meschisvili case (an 11-year-old who disappeared in February 2006), Georgiou defended the then 13-year-old main suspect, focusing on contradictions in witnesses’ statements and gaps in the preliminary investigation. He also represented the family of Stathis Anthis, a Greek man who went missing in Britain, and after a body found in Devon was identified, pushed for a new autopsy and toxicology tests to be carried out in Athens.

Georgiou was also well known for frequent television appearances discussing criminal law and major court developments, which made him one of Greece’s most recognizable defense attorneys.