Twist in the murder of Eleni Papadopoulou – Her son arrested

Authorities arrested Eleni Papadopoulou’s son today (26/12), as the 60-year-old is accused of killing his mother three years ago inside her apartment in Kolonaki.

The 87-year-old woman had been found in January 2022 inside her Kolonaki apartment, burned to death after a fire broke out there.

Her 60-year-old son, for his part, had presented her death as an accident caused by the fire that erupted in the apartment.

The elderly woman who was found dead in her apartment was the wife of a former Member of Parliament.

The timeline of the case

When the woman was found dead, it was initially believed that the fire that broke out in the home had been caused by a cigarette, as she was a heavy smoker.

However, the findings of experienced officers, forensic experts, and the Fire Service’s investigative department stated that a flammable liquid had been used and that the fire was deliberately set to cover up the traces of murder. In the course of the investigation, a person from her close circle gave testimony.

As it emerged, Eleni Papadopoulou did not die from smoke inhalation. The level of carbon monoxide in her blood was just 5 percent — a value consistent with that of a heavy smoker, but not with death caused by fire.

Toxicological analysis detected an active substance from sedative medication at concentrations far above therapeutic levels. The woman was either in deep sedation or already dead before the fire was set.

Forensic laboratories ultimately confirmed this scenario. An accelerant was detected on the elderly woman’s clothes. Someone had doused her with a large quantity of gasoline, soaked the sofa on which the victim was sitting as well as the surrounding area, and then set the place on fire.