ATHENS (Reuters) -Five people suspected of involvement in the killing of a University of California at Berkeley professor in Athens earlier in July appeared in a Greek court on Monday to respond to charges over the slaying, lawyers said.
The five included the ex-wife of the academic, a 43-year-old Polish national. According to a confidential police document seen by Reuters, the professor was shot in the chest and the back on July 4 in Athens’ northeastern suburb of Agia Paraskevi.
Police found six bullet shells at the crime scene. Some of the suspects escaped in a luxury car, according to video footage examined by the police as part of an investigation that led to the issuance of arrest warrants.
The professor’s Greek ex-wife, who has denied any wrongdoing, her Greek partner, and three other people – one Bulgarian and two Albanian nationals – were arrested last week.
“She is innocent,” said the ex-wife’s lawyer, Alexandros Pasiatas, expressing certainty that the evidence to emerge from the main investigation will prove that she was not involved.
Greek authorities have not released the names of the individuals alleged to be involved in the incident and the charges have not been officially disclosed.
The woman’s partner has confessed to shooting him, according to police officials. She is accused of moral complicity and the rest of the detainees are accused of assisting the perpetrator, one of the officials said. The weapon used in the killing has not been found.
A prosecutor is expected to decide on Monday whether the suspects will be freed or remain in custody during the main investigation, and pending trial.
(Reporting by Stamos Prousalis and Renee Maltezou, Editing by William Maclean)
