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Developer guilty of tenant murder | Developer guilty of tenant murder |
(30 minutes later) | |
A developer who arranged the killing of a tenant after he had refused to leave a building earmarked for a £2m property deal has been convicted of his murder. | |
Thanos Papalexis, 37, of Palm Beach, Florida, allegedly hired henchmen to kill caretaker Charalambos Christodoulides, 55, in March 2000. | Thanos Papalexis, 37, of Palm Beach, Florida, allegedly hired henchmen to kill caretaker Charalambos Christodoulides, 55, in March 2000. |
His body was found in a warehouse complex in Kensal Rise, north-west London, which he had refused to leave. | His body was found in a warehouse complex in Kensal Rise, north-west London, which he had refused to leave. |
Papalexis is in custody awaiting sentence on 30 September. | |
His conviction on Friday could not be reported until Monday when the jury was discharged after failing to reach verdicts on Ylli Xhelo, 35, and Robert Baxhija, 29. | |
Clinton fundraiser | |
The two Albanian workmen employed by Papalexis had also also been charged with the murder. | The two Albanian workmen employed by Papalexis had also also been charged with the murder. |
Papalexis, who once held a fundraiser at his Florida home for Hillary Clinton, had Christodoulides killed because he would not leave the £2m warehouse building he was trying to sell, the court heard. | |
He was worried the deal would collapse and needed money for another development. | He was worried the deal would collapse and needed money for another development. |
Papalexis' financial affairs were also said to be in a "perilous" state after his inexperience led to heavy losses on another development in Holloway, north London. | |
Papalexis, pictured on a throne in his office in Florida | |
He was paying £60,000 a week on a bridging loan. | He was paying £60,000 a week on a bridging loan. |
The developer was arrested in Palm Beach in November 2008 after police finished building their case against him. | |
A local prostitute, Rebecca DeFalco, was said to have told US marshals that Papalexis, her former lover, had confessed to her in 2004. | |
The prosecution said Papalexis thought Mr Christodoulides stood in the way of a quick deal to sell the derelict site which would have saved him from financial ruin. | |
The property deal fell through and the Holloway development was put into receivership with £8m debts. | |
Jonathan Laidlaw QC, prosecuting, said Mr Christodoulides had been tied to a chair, tortured and strangled. | Jonathan Laidlaw QC, prosecuting, said Mr Christodoulides had been tied to a chair, tortured and strangled. |
Mr Laidlaw added: "It appears that the victim was condemned to die for no better reason than he was not prepared to leave his home. | |
"This was a senseless killing motivated by greed." | |
Mr Christodoulides' sister, Anna Lanitis, 60, wept as she told the court: "We loved him. He was a very gentle person. He lived his life the way he wanted." | |
After Mr Christodoulides' body was discovered, Papalexis went to America and the Albanians, who had been denied asylum, were deported. | |
Mr Xhelo and Mr Baxhija were remanded in custody to face a retrial. | Mr Xhelo and Mr Baxhija were remanded in custody to face a retrial. |