Two Americans who previously housed Sharif Ahmadzai — the 26-year-old Afghan man accused of murdering British volunteer Elizabeth Jane Rose and transporting her body in a suitcase in Kypseli — say they are completely devastated by the news. The couple, who asked to remain anonymous, expressed profound shock at the serious charges now facing the young man they had known since his teenage years, when he worked as a translator at a refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos.
Speaking to the British Daily Mail, the two Americans — who were involved in humanitarian work at the Moria refugee camp at the time — said they struggle to connect the teenager they once knew with the grave charges he now faces, which include premeditated murder, robbery, and weapons law violations. Ahmadzai arrived in Lesbos in 2016 at the age of 16, having lost almost everything. According to the couple, after a fire broke out at the Moria camp during clashes between migrants, his tent was destroyed and he was left without shelter.
Kypseli: A powerful family bond
Ahmadzai, who was working at the time as an interpreter for humanitarian organizations, was taken in by the couple, and a strong family bond gradually developed between them. “When the camp burned down, I brought him along with two other kids to our home around five in the morning, when I managed to get back. The others left, but he stayed. We kept him close — it was like we adopted him,” the man said.
Their relationship was so close that the young Afghan called the couple “mom” and “dad,” and alongside their two now-adult sons, they became the family he had lost. The woman helped him with his English and his studies, and in the past had shared photos on social media of Christmases they spent together and gifts they had given him.
The couple remained in Lesbos for approximately two years before returning to Atlanta, United States. The last time they saw Ahmadzai was in 2019, when they visited Europe again. The woman, who had developed a mother-son bond with him, described her reaction to the news of his arrest with tears in her eyes. “When I heard the news, I couldn’t believe it was true. Not in a million years. It doesn’t seem real. I keep thinking I’m going to wake up and it’ll just be a nightmare,” she said.
“I feel like a mother to this boy”
“I am devastated. I can’t explain it. It’s a pain you can’t describe. I feel like a mother to this boy, who is now a grown man.” The couple maintains that they never saw any signs suggesting Ahmadzai could become involved in something this serious.
When asked whether they ever believed he could commit such an act, the man replied: “Absolutely not.” “He had problems, like everyone does. There were difficult moments, but they usually involved his reactions to authority or times when he felt frustrated with himself.” His wife added that his behavior was, as she put it, “normal for a teenager,” while noting that, like many refugees, he had endured deeply traumatic experiences.
The 26-year-old’s “sphinx” strategy
He said neither “no” nor “yes” — he chose silence. The 26-year-old Afghan’s so-called “sphinx” strategy before the examining magistrate was not, according to his defense, a “closing of the door” on the case, but rather a deliberate pause — waiting for evidence that, as his lawyer argues, could change the picture entirely. His “silent” statement from the defendant’s position in the murder of the 38-year-old British woman in Kypseli opens a new chapter in the judicial investigation.
The 26-year-old was remanded in custody following his statement, with both the examining magistrate and the prosecutor in agreement. He faces criminal charges of premeditated murder, robbery, and weapons law violations in connection with the case of 38-year-old Scottish woman Elizabeth Jane Rose, whose body was found inside a suitcase in an abandoned building in the Kypseli neighborhood of Athens.
During his statement, the 26-year-old exercised his right to silence, with his defense team arguing that the case file has not yet been completed and that critical evidence is still pending, including the forensic report and the toxicological and histological examinations of the 38-year-old.
His attorney, Christos Erdas, argued that his client’s stance does not constitute a refusal to cooperate with authorities, but rather a choice to wait until the case file is complete. “In the interest of establishing the truth, during his statement our client exercised his right to silence, pending the submission of the forensic report and the toxicological and histological examinations of the deceased into the case file. He likewise submitted requests for documents to be incorporated into the file through judicial assistance, relating to the deceased and connected to findings that emerged from her personal belongings. It should be noted that the examination of the deceased at the time of her discovery revealed no injuries whatsoever, and there is a complete absence of any apparent cause of death.
His stance toward the prosecutorial and investigative authorities was not one of refusal, but rather of reservation — so that he may offer a full statement once the file is completed with the above relevant documents, which were not sought by the preliminary investigation authorities, with the sole aim of uncovering the substantive truth for both sides,” the lawyer emphasized. The defense is also requesting, among other things, that documents relating to the 38-year-old’s medical history be included in the case file, in order — as it argues — to fully investigate all parameters surrounding the cause of her death.
For his part, the 26-year-old continues to deny that he took Elizabeth’s life. According to statements he reportedly made during the preliminary investigation, when he entered the apartment he found her dead in the bathroom and, he claims, he panicked and, instead of notifying the authorities, transported her body in a suitcase to an abandoned building in Kypseli. His claims, however, did not convince the judicial authorities, who ordered his remand in custody, while the investigation into the circumstances of the 38-year-old’s death and the suspect’s movements continues.
