A Greek pilot was recently arrested in relation to the murder of his British wife, leaving their 11-month-old daughter without a mother, after he confessed to killing her despite plotting an elaborate scheme to escape being convicted.
The suspect, 33-year-old Charalambos Anagnostopoulos, kept up his innocent facade for 37 days after the death of his wife, Caroline Crouch. He devised a tale of how their daughter witnessed the gruesome murder of the victim while he was bound to a bed in their suburban Athens home.
Heavily armed police escorted Anagnostopoulos to an Athens court on June 17 shortly after he was photographed holding and comforting his dead wife's mother during the victim's funeral. Inside the courtroom, attendees were surrounded by armed officers, a testament to the building tensions after the dramatic discovery.
Killing His Own Wife
The suspect confessed to the crime being motivated by his 20-year-old wife threatening to leave him and take their baby, Lydia, away from him. After telling the truth, he told authorities he wanted to avoid going to prison to take care of their daughter. Police interrogated Anagnostopoulos for eight hours at the Greek capital's central police station on Thursday. They believe the cause of death was by suffocation, Daily Mail reported.
Police talked to the suspect during the victim's funeral, arriving by helicopter to the Greek island where the memorial was being held. Authorities discreetly approached Anagnostopoulos during the dramatic service near the cemetery of Alonissos, telling him they discovered new information regarding his wife's death that he should see immediately.
Law enforcement personnel talked with the suspect without disturbing the memorial service, Alonissos Mayor Petros Vafinis said. He added he was unsure whether Anagnostopoulos was taken in for identification or to give a new statement.
Shortly after the murder, the suspect told police that a gang of robbers broke into his home while he was sleeping. He said the incident took place at about 5:00 a.m. where the criminals tied him and his wife and that they were gagged. The suspect claimed the robbers demanded money and jewelry while holding guns to their faces.
Anagnostopoulos said that he later told the criminals where to find nearly $12,000 worth of cash inside a Monopoly box. He said the money was savings the couple put together to pay for builders after buying land, Mirror reported.
Elaborate Plot
Police discovered new evidence that contradicted the suspect's claims, which prompted officers to demand clarifications, police spokesperson Apostolos Skrekas said. Authorities said new evidence was based on three new key findings. First, the biometric watch the victim wore on her wrist showed she had vital signs during the time her husband said she was supposedly dead.
Second, laboratory data showed that memory cards from the security cameras of the house were removed at a different time than what the suspect claimed. Lastly, activity from his mobile phone was discovered to have movement at a time when the suspect claimed he was bound to the bed and unable to move, Greek Reported reported.
