Eirini Mourtzoukou spent her first night in Korydallos prison after being remanded in custody following her testimony before the Patras examining magistrate. She was transferred yesterday afternoon from Athens Police Headquarters to the women’s wing of Korydallos, facing extremely serious charges including attempted murder of a minor and involvement in the deaths of four children—two of whom were her own.
According to ERT reports, the accused is being held in isolation under constant surveillance in the same ward as Roula Pispirigou. She is described as calm and collected, and has requested to be transferred to a psychiatric institution—a request she had already submitted in her written statement.
In the 19-page memorandum she submitted, Mourtzoukou makes chilling claims regarding both the deaths of the infants and the case of young Panagiotakis. She argues that the 15-month-old boy’s case followed a “different pattern” than the other four incidents, noting that “Panagiotakis was a boy, whereas the other victims were younger girls.”
She shifts blame to the boy’s mother, claiming she had an “active role” in the case but provides no further details. She also implies a third person may have been involved, again without naming anyone, alleging that she is receiving threats to her life.
Attempting to build a defense around her mental health, Mourtzoukou claims that Panagiotakis was the child who gave her the strength to overcome her psychological struggles:
“Panagiotakis gave me the strength to overcome my darkness (psychiatric / psychotic / physical and more). He made me dream again…”
She denies any responsibility for his death, stating:
“I would never harm him, I wouldn’t touch him for any reason… it’s not an exaggeration to say he was the reason I kept going… I can say clearly that I bear no responsibility, involvement, or complicity in his death.”
She further accuses the boy’s mother of trying to place the blame on her:
“All these months, she has been trying to make me take responsibility for her child’s death, but I cannot accept the blame for the last hope I had of saving my life, my soul, my very existence.”
Mourtzoukou, who at one point began identifying as “Rinos” instead of “Eirini,” tries to differentiate Panagiotakis from her other victims, arguing that he did not fit her “victim profile,” even suggesting he didn’t match her pattern of killings.
She also claims that after the child’s death, his mother secretly allowed her to stay at her home:
“From the day of Panagiotis’ death (5/8/2024) until June 2025, she was secretly housing me at her home in Amaliada, which clearly contradicts the publicly presented image of an outraged (allegedly) mother.”
Elsewhere in the memorandum, she expresses willingness to testify fully about the boy’s death, provided she receives an official summons and assurance of her safety:
“At this procedural stage, I cannot and must not delve into the details of the manner, method, cause, etc. of his death. But I am willing to disclose everything to the authorities.”
The Third Person
The most serious claim in her statement is the suggestion that a third person played a “crucial role” in the case. She does not yet name this individual, stating:
“A decisive role has also been played by another person, whose name I will reveal only to the competent prosecutorial/judicial authorities, as I am receiving continuous and intense threats to my life and physical safety.”
Mourtzoukou insists she is ready to fully cooperate with authorities to ensure that “no part of this tragic story remains in the dark.”
Confessed Murders and “Mental Fog”
In her confessions, Mourtzoukou described how she killed her sister, her two babies, and the child of a woman named Katerina. A common factor in the three cases—her sister, one of her children, and Katerina’s child—was a “mental fog” she experienced, she said. Regarding her other child, she claimed the baby died accidentally when she smothered it in her sleep.
“When my sister Zoi-Ileana died, I was 13 years old. No one cared what I was going through. I remember going to her room. She was on the floor and I was standing over her. I didn’t realize she had died… Every time, I blacked out… It’s like I wasn’t thinking during those moments… My mind felt like it was going crazy.”
“It was the same with my sister, with Katerina’s baby, and with my daughter Maria-Frederiki,” she continued.
Regarding her other baby, she said:
“I did it without realizing it. I woke up and I had smothered it in my sleep. I had taken the baby from my mother’s house that night, returned to the place I stayed with Sumon, and we all went to bed in the same bed. A while later I woke up and realized I had been lying on top of the baby.”
“I’ve spent my whole life raising children—my siblings, my friends’ kids, my own… And look where I ended up. Hurting my own kids, my sister, and another innocent baby—Katerina’s child.”
In a rare moment of full admission, she added:
“And since we’re saying everything today and I truly feel like I’m finding relief, I will say that I never harmed Panagiotakis. This is the first time I’m admitting everything—I’ve never even managed to say it during confession. I’ll tell you that when it comes to my daughter Maria-Frederiki, we were in the hospital and not even alone in the room… I don’t know how I did it, but I did… it’s as if for a few seconds I wasn’t thinking, didn’t understand what was happening, and once I realized, the damage was done.”
“With the little baby, I woke up and realized I had smothered it. After realizing that, I tried with all my might to bring it back. I tried to give it breaths.”
She concluded:
“I never meant to harm any of the children. Everyone saw how much I loved them… I don’t know what happened to me. It’s like my mind just goes blank… as if it doesn’t want to remember what happened… When I think back to those moments, all I remember is trying to understand what I had done, why I did it, and how I could undo it.”
Ask me anything
Explore related questions
