‘Suitcase killer’ suspect’s spouse breaks silence with bombshell claims over Brit lady’s dying
An Afghan boxer faces trial after his wife’s phone tracking and suspicious texts helped police link him to a Scottish woman found dead in a suitcase in Athens
Alaina Hall reportedly became suspicious of her murder-accused husband Sharif Ahmadzai’s strange behaviour
An Afghan boxing champ accused of the murder of a British woman was reportedly exposed after his own wife became suspicious of his behaviour. Sharif Ahmadzai, 26, appeared in court in Athens today after being charged with homicide over the death of Elisabeth-Jane Ross, 38.
The Scottish woman’s body was discovered stuffed inside a suitcase by a homeless man inside a derelict building in the Greek capital on July 18.
The murder-accused refugee was escorted to the Court of First Instance in a blacked-out car, where he faces further charges of stealing more than £8,500 from his alleged victim’s bank accounts.
Elisabeth-Jane Ross, 38, was discovered dead inside a suitcase in Athens(Image: Facebook)
Court reports in Greece have now revealed how Ahmadzai’s own wife, Alaina Hall, blew the case wide open after noticing her friend had mysteriously vanished.
Ms Hall, who met Elisabeth through church and volunteer groups, became alarmed when texts sent to her friend went unanswered – and her husband vanished in the middle of the night, reports the Mirror.
Ms Hall told of how she became concerned on the night of July 15 when she woke up at midnight with her husband not there.
Murder-accused Sharif Ahmadzai, 26, is escorted into a police car outside court(Image: PA Wire)
As per local media reports, she said: “I checked his location on my cell phone…I saw that he was inside the apartment on Rethymno Street. I was surprised because there was no particular reason for him to be there at that time.”
She added that when she phoned him he claimed he was at a bar and had gone to the apartment only to use the toilet. Ahmadzai is said to have admitted to going to Elisabeth’s flat on July 15, which is where Ms Hall’s phone records show he was.
When she learnt that Ms Ross was missing and then a body was found, she began to piece details together in her mind. “I was very afraid that the body that was found belonged to Lisa,” she said.
Sharif Ahmadzai faces trial over homicide with intent and allegations of stealing £8.5k from the victim(Image: INSTAGRAM)
So Ms Hall sent text messages to the victim and was surprised by the replies as they were not in her style “both in terms of her level of English and the use of emojis that she never used”. She added that she tried to contact her by phone, but didn’t receive a response.
“All of this made me feel strange. Especially combining the dates, the messages and my husband’s behaviour. I have various thoughts that make me feel uncomfortable,” she told authorities, reports Proto Thema.
After the body was identified as belonging to her friend, Ms Hall said she became so afraid that she and her husband left their home and spent the night in different places. She also began to receive threatening messages with photos of herself and her baby, which police reportedly believe were sent by Ahmadzai in order to remove suspicion from him.
Ahmadzai was initially detained on illegal weapons possession charges but is now facing a charge of homicide with intent, as well as allegations that he stole more than 10,000 euro (£8,500) from Ms Ross’s bank accounts using her bank cards, police said
Greek officials said he admitted moving the body but denied the homicide allegations. Ahmadzai’s lawyer Christos Erdos confirmed his client did not speak during Thursday’s hearing, and that he did not submit a plea in relation to any of the three charges he faces.
The judge ordered Ahmadzai to be kept in pre-trial detention while further evidence is compiled, ahead of another hearing at a future date. The 26-year-old was then escorted back into the car by masked officers shortly before 2pm, before being driven off the premises.
Police previously said the suspect was detained for questioning after investigators reviewed surveillance camera footage recorded nearby to where the body was discovered. Ms Ross is believed to have died a number of days before she was found, during which time temperatures reached 36C. Authorities were able to identify her using fingerprints.
Ms Ross, who is understood to be from Edinburgh, entered Greece on June 26 and was initially staying with friends in Piraeus, a port area of Athens.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said earlier: “Our thoughts are with Elisabeth’s family during this difficult time. We are providing consular support and are in contact with the local authorities.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson previously said: “We are aware of the death of a Scottish woman in Athens and are liaising with authorities in Greece. Officers are providing support to her family in Scotland.”
