Five individuals have been remanded in custody in connection with the murder of a Polish professor in Agia Paraskevi, a suburb of Athens. Among the accused are the victim’s 43-year-old ex-wife and her 35-year-old partner, who has confessed to the killing.

A Shocking Turn of Events

The suspects appeared before Greek judicial authorities on July 21, spending over 11 hours giving testimony. The 43-year-old woman, the last to testify, declared herself “shocked” and denied any involvement or prior knowledge of the plan. “I’m innocent. I didn’t know anything about my partner’s plan to kill the father of my children,” she said, according to local media reports. “He supported the family financially. I had no motive.”

Court records confirm that the former couple had signed a private agreement in December. The professor was providing child support amounting to €2,500 monthly, covering school fees, and granting the mother primary decision-making authority regarding their children. Despite the arrangement, the woman later filed for legal restrictions against him, which she lost.

There were conflicting allegations of abuse between the former spouses, with the woman initially claiming mistreatment by the victim. However, the professor’s brother alleged that she had been the abusive one.

Testimony from a Child Psychologist

According to a child psychologist who met with the professor on the day of the murder, the victim appeared cooperative and calm. Though the session began tensely—partly because the children were unwilling to go with their father—the psychologist described the professor as “willing” and “open to solutions.” He reportedly arrived on time, casually dressed, and with a coffee in hand. “He clearly wanted to work things out, not force anything,” she told police.

During court proceedings, the 43-year-old woman and her 35-year-old partner sat just steps apart but exchanged no words or glances—behaving, as observers noted, like complete strangers.

The Confession

The self-confessed killer claimed full responsibility, insisting his partner knew nothing about the murder. He reportedly cried during his two-and-a-half-hour testimony. “I did it to protect my family. I feared he would take the children to America and never return them,” he said. “I didn’t plan it. I just wanted to scare him.”

Alleged Accomplices Deny Knowledge of Murder Plan

Three other men, allegedly involved in the crime, claimed they had no idea that the professor would be murdered. According to their testimonies, the main suspect told them he needed help to intimidate a man who was allegedly abusing children—an accusation not supported by any confirmed evidence.

A 30-year-old Bulgarian stated: “He asked me to find someone to scare his partner’s ex-husband. I introduced him to a 23-year-old. I didn’t know about any plan to kill.” He added that after the murder, the gunman promised to pay €50,000 for their silence.

The 23-year-old, who allegedly drove the getaway vehicle, said: “He only told me he needed help with a child abuser. When I heard him loading the gun in the car, I realized something was wrong. After the shot, we panicked and drove off. We’ve had no contact with him since. No one mentioned his partner being involved.”