Sharif Ahmadzai, 26, is appearing before the investigating magistrate this morning over the murder of Elizabeth Jane Ross, the 38-year-old British woman known as Liza, whose body was found on 18 July inside a suitcase in an abandoned building in Kypseli, an inner Athens neighbourhood.

Lightweight boxer and Christian aid group leader Ahmadzai faces criminal charges of premeditated murder, robbery and firearms offences. He denies killing Ross, claiming he found her dead in the bathroom and panicked, which is why he moved the body.

Police say he used her bank cards to withdraw around 10,000 euros in total, and that he sent messages from her phone to relatives and friends to make it look as though she was still alive.

Greek authorities are also investigating whether the accused and the 38-year-old knew each other through their work supporting refugees, as both had links to organisations active in that field.

The Red Cross animation video telling his story as an immigrant

What has drawn particular attention is that Ahmadzai’s personal story was previously highlighted by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) as an example of a refugee’s survival and integration.

According to earlier reports, Ahmadzai was born in Afghanistan and lost his family to Taliban attacks. His father, an officer in the Afghan army, was killed, while his mother and siblings died in a suicide bombing in Kabul.

He left the country at the age of 15 and, after a difficult journey through Iran and Turkey, arrived in Greece as an unaccompanied minor refugee in 2016, reaching the country via Lesvos.

He was initially housed at a reception facility on the island before settling in Athens. There he converted to Christianity and met American Alaina Hall, whom he married in 2023, and the couple went on to have a child.

Together they founded the non-profit organisation Love Every Nation Athens, which supports refugees and migrants in Greece. Ahmadzai also took up boxing, winning honours at Greek championships.

(VIDEO) Game of life: The Story of Sharif

Watch the video made about the killer by the International Red Cross 9 years ago

His wife’s statement

A key development in the investigation was the statement given by Ahmadzai’s wife, which is reported to have played a decisive role in the progress of the case after she began to suspect his behaviour.

According to reports, she told investigators that in the early hours of 16 July she realised her husband was not at home. Using a location-sharing app, she found that he was at the flat where Elizabeth Jane Ross lived.

When the discovery of the 38-year-old’s body became public a few days later, she left the family home with their baby and went to the police, giving a statement about what she knew.

Investigations also found that on 19 July, Ross’s mobile phone was activated in the Arachova area. Analysis of mobile phone data and available video footage suggests the accused was in the same area at the time, accompanied by his wife and their child.