James Dalamangas: The “invisible” fugitive who lived in a “fortress” and claimed to have cancer

After 26 whole years of living undisturbed in Aigialeia under a fake identity, James Dalamangas –one of Australia’s most wanted men for the 1999 murder of a Greek expat- was arrested on June 7 in Aigio.

His father and his partner were arrested along with him and were also taken to court under the flagrante delicto procedure. The Aigio Court scheduled a new trial date for Wednesday. Until then, all three defendants will remain in custody. The 55-year-old faces charges of forgery and impersonation, while his father and partner are charged with harboring a criminal.

The 55-year-old Greek-Australian had changed his name to “Antonis Tzimas” and settled in the Alsos community of Aigialeia, living like an ordinary local. His home, however, hid a different reality: high walls surrounding the property and a large number of fierce dogs kept any unwanted visitors at bay, turning the residence into a veritable “fortress.”

The 1999 Sydney Murder

The case dates back to 1999 in Sydney, Australia, when George Giannopoulos, a member of the Greek diaspora, was murdered. According to reports, Giannopoulos tried to step in and stop a violent brawl between patrons at a nightclub. Dalamangas allegedly launched a surprise attack on him, inflicting fatal knife wounds.

Australian police issued an arrest warrant just a day after the crime—but Dalamangas had already crossed continents. The 55-year-old, whose mother originates from Temeni, fled to Greece and managed to live undetected in Aigialeia for nearly three decades.

In 2019, Australian police offered a $200,000 reward for information leading to his arrest, as previous public appeals had failed to yield new clues about his whereabouts.

New South Wales (NSW) Police and the Australian Federal Police made their most recent public appeal to locate Dalamangas in 2024, as the 25-year statute of limitations for the crime in Greece was rapidly approaching.

Australian authorities failed in their attempt to extradite Dalamangas in 2003, resulting in the investigation being handed over to Greek police. The probe was abandoned in 2007 when Greek authorities failed to locate him.

“Antonis Tzimas” and the Cancer Alibi

The suspect arrived in the country just weeks after the 1999 murder and had since lived an extremely isolated life in Aigio, avoiding leaving his house and interacting almost exclusively with his parents.

Dalamangas introduced himself to local residents as “Antonis Tzimas.” To justify his isolated lifestyle in the village, he claimed to have severe health issues, telling people he suffered from lung cancer and that his doctor had advised him to seek clean air, which is why he settled in the area.

However, his behavior had sparked intense curiosity -and concern- among his neighbors, primarily due to the presence of dozens of dogs on his property.

Far-Right Views and Neighbor Complaints

The situation had alarmed residents so much that they eventually gathered signatures, appealing to the authorities to thoroughly inspect the animals’ living conditions.

“He would walk around the village normally. At first, of course, there were some issues. He had a lot of pit bulls. In the beginning, before he fenced off the house, they would get out and cause trouble. My kids were babies back then, and our first interaction was me telling him, ‘Watch out, man, because these dogs aren’t a joke. I don’t want a kid walking out and having an incident.’ He told me not to worry, that he just needed some time and would build a wall around the house,” a neighbor stated, adding:

“I didn’t know what he did for a living. As a neighborhood, we realized something was off with the dogs. We gathered signatures for an investigation because he had so many—we’re talking 20 to 30 dogs. After a while, that stopped. Now he has 5 or 6.”

“We came here in 2005. It’s our holiday home, so we only come in the summer. He arrived around 2007 or 2008, if I’m not mistaken. The house he bought wasn’t livable. He found some money, bought it, and it blew my mind because within 6 to 7 months, the place was unrecognizable. He put up high exterior walls and built a tiled roof. It was completely derelict before. We learned this guy came from Australia, that he had health issues -specifically lung cancer- and needed an isolated home to breathe clean air and recover,” the neighbor added.

According to another neighbor, Dalamangas did not give the impression that he was actively trying to hide, as he moved about normally within the local community. As he described: “He had no issue going out. He wasn’t hiding. A few years ago, he even came out for a beer. We learned he was from Australia and so on.”

During that encounter, Dalamangas had revealed his political beliefs, with the neighbor adding: “He had far-right tendencies. Over that beer we shared, he was telling me that Golden Dawn is the best party. He had that kind of arrogance. After that, we just exchanged a basic good morning.”

Regarding his social life, Dalamangas had been in a long-term relationship with a schoolteacher. The neighbor noted: “From what I know, they weren’t married. The woman is a teacher. Last year, I think she was stationed in Santorini. This year, she got transferred to Athens and would come down every weekend. They had been together for quite a few years.”

Finally, as to how he made a living, the neighbor concluded that agricultural production was the front he presented to the outside world: “As far as I know, behind his house he has a very large field with olive trees, and that’s how he earned his living.”