Sharif Ahmadzai (26) has been charged with the murder of 38-year-old Scot Elisabeth-Jane Ross. He admitted to moving the body and stealing money but denies the murder. Police are investigating two possible motives.
Greek authorities are intensively investigating the shocking murder of 38-year-old Scottish humanitarian worker Elisabeth-Jane Ross, whose lifeless body was found in a suitcase in an abandoned building in Athens last month by a homeless person. After days of questioning, on Sunday, August 2, 2026, 26-year-old Afghan national Sharif Ahmadzai, a professional lightweight boxer, was charged with her murder, as reported by Jutarnji list, citing The Guardian.
Ahmadzai arrived in Greece ten years ago during the major migration crisis as a refugee child. In 2023, he married American citizen Alaina Hall, who was also a friend of the murdered Ross. The couple shared similar volunteer experiences and religious views with Ross, and they were also connected through a solidarity group for refugees called "Love Every Nation." Ahmadzai had keys to an apartment in the Exarcheia district that he helped manage, where Ross moved in on July 10, 2026.
According to available information, Ross made her last phone call from her mobile phone on the night of July 15. Three days later, on July 18, her body was found in a suitcase in the Kypseli district, about three kilometers from the apartment in Exarcheia. The investigation gained crucial evidence when police reviewed surveillance camera footage. "The police have surveillance footage showing him doing this on the night of July 16," said Giorgos Kalliakmanis, president of the police officers' association in Athens, referring to the moment the accused brought the body to the location where it was later found.
Although charged with murder, Ahmadzai denied killing her. He told investigators that he found Ross's lifeless body in the apartment. However, he admitted to key incriminating actions. "He admitted to bringing her body to the scene. He also admitted to withdrawing 10,000 euros from an ATM using her credit cards," Kalliakmanis said, adding that police do not believe his version of innocence regarding the murder itself.
Police emphasize that Ahmadzai's wife, Alaina Hall, played a significant role in the investigation. She became suspicious of her husband's unusual movements and newfound wealth, which he acquired by withdrawing money from the victim's credit cards. She contacted the police, handed over the cash he had given her, and moved to a hotel herself. Meanwhile, messages were sent from the murdered Ross's phone to her father and family members, which police described as "deliberately misleading." One of the fake messages mentioned "the need to be alone," with the aim of delaying the victim being declared missing. The phone was used until last week, when the body was publicly identified.
Police are currently considering two possible motives for the crime. "We believe there was a conflict, but was it triggered by the victim discovering that the accused was searching through her belongings and stealing her credit cards, or was it a sexual assault, or did she reject his advances?" a source close to the investigation told The Guardian. Forensic experts state that Ross was "likely suffocated" because there were no visible injuries on her body, but the autopsy has so far been unable to confirm the cause of death due to advanced decomposition. Toxicological tests and analyses of vital organs are still pending, which could reveal more details.
While the investigation into this shocking murder unfolds in Athens, Greece is simultaneously battling a fiery blaze. Hundreds of firefighters, aided by helicopters and water-bombing planes, continued fighting a large fire west of Athens on Monday. Due to strong winds driving flames toward mountain communities, destroying homes and agricultural land, more than 1,000 people have been evacuated. Of that number, over 250 people were rescued by boats from beaches in the affected area, as reported by Euronews.
