Just 25 years old, with a degree in Biology and having just taken her first professional steps in the field she loved, Penelope had built her life and daily routine in Thesprotia. The young woman, who was murdered in Igoumenitsa by her 27-year-old ex-partner, worked as a biologist at a fish farming facility in the area.
A graduate of the University of Patras, she had a particular passion for marine biology and ichthyology. Her undergraduate thesis focused on the study of fish species in the Ionian Sea, and she continued to expand her knowledge in areas related to oceanography and marine environmental monitoring.
Her professional career had barely begun. From July 2025, she had been working in Sagiada, having turned her love of the sea and marine life into her everyday work.
Femicide in Igoumenitsa: They had broken up one month before the murder
Approximately one month before the murder, Penelope’s relationship with the 27-year-old had ended. She was living in Thesprotia, while her ex-partner remained in Athens. According to reports, the 27-year-old traveled to Igoumenitsa to meet the 25-year-old. He later claimed to authorities that there was a financial dispute between them, alleging that Penelope owed him €1,900. This remains his own claim, is currently under investigation, and has not been established as the true motive behind the murder.
Their meeting ended in tragedy. The 27-year-old attacked his ex-partner with a knife and left her bleeding at the scene. Penelope was discovered by a passerby, who alerted the police.
The “four masked attackers” scheme
What followed the murder forms another critical part of the case. The 27-year-old did not turn himself in to authorities. Instead, according to investigative findings, he attempted to present both himself and Penelope as victims of an alleged attack by unknown assailants.
After leaving the scene, he reportedly hid behind bushes nearby. Five minutes after the first police alert about the bloodied 25-year-old, he called the emergency line himself.
“Four hooded men attacked us to rob us — they hurt me and my girlfriend. I’m not far from the spot, come find me,” he is reported to have said.
Officers located him a short distance away, bearing injuries on his body which, according to investigative sources, were self-inflicted.
The 27-year-old was taken to hospital, where police began questioning him. As investigators pressed for more details about the alleged attackers and the circumstances of the supposed assault, his account began to unravel. The “four masked men” story started to collapse under scrutiny.
“I blacked out”
Eventually, the 27-year-old confessed that he had killed Penelope. He then led officers to the location where he had discarded the knife, which was subsequently recovered and seized. Regarding the events that led up to the murder, he reportedly claimed that the two had argued and that he “blacked out,” while again raising his allegation of the €1,900 financial dispute. Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances and motive behind the crime, while the 27-year-old remains hospitalized under police guard.
Behind the case file and the confession, however, is a 25-year-old woman whose life was just beginning to take the shape she had chosen for it. Penelope had finished her studies, found a job in her field, and had an entire career ahead of her — one she never got the chance to live.
