Found Deceased Greece - Dr. Suzanne Eaton, 60, American, gone for a run, Crete, 2 Jul 2019 *ARREST*

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He dropped his pomegranates at the bunker? Funny. I bet that supposed to say tire tracks.

"In addition to the "pomegranates" found on the ground in the area of the German bunker which are supposed to match the 27-year-old car, the alleged suspect was betrayed by his open-ended mobile phone, whose digital traces are reported to be detected both at the crime scene and in the German police station."
27χρονος Χανιώτης πατέρας δυο ανήλικων παιδιών και γιος παπά ο δολοφόνος της Suzanne Eaton | Video - zarpanews.gr
 
Very cool police work, when you think about it. Police used their cell phones to pinpoint the digital location of the body, then they contacted the three carriers to identify exactly which cell phones were at that location in the few hours after she vanished, then they checked those numbers against suspects who were asked to answer some questions at the police station. They matched tire tracks to his tires, and then they could direct the suspect to a confession.

I'm curious whether the "employee" who helped him dispose of the body is a family member.
 
At first I thought he was out driving and happened to come across her as she was walking/jogging.
A crime of opportunity.
Now I'm thinking he was stalking her ?
How would he have known she'd be out in that area, hiking ?
 
You may be right Otto, the older woman angle. Good point. Although Suzanne looks much younger than her years. I'm just trying to understand why she was targeted. She's on the island only, what, 5 days? Then again, maybe it is not the custom of Greek women to exercise in public. By the way, I enjoy your
insights and find them insightful.
 
We read that Suzanne was tortured and she did not die quickly. What is that about?

He hit her with a car, drove over her twice - no concern for other traffic. She fought back so he stabbed her and put her in the car. She was kicking in the car and making noise (which only matters if you're driving through a populated area), so he stabbed her many more times - although none of the stab wounds were fatal. He put a hand over her mouth and nose so she would be quiet. What then, he accidentally killed her right then, but not with a knife, so he kept her in the car, or was it the back of a truck, for 3 hours until after dark? It was a sexual motive so when did the sexual motive happen?

The suspect is doing a walkthrough with the prosecutor next. I hope more information is released explaining what happened in a realistic way. If he drove over her a couple of times, there will be blood on the road. Her blood will also be in the car. If she was sexually assaulted there with be a third crime scene. I wonder if he skipped over what he did (sexual assault?) between abducting her and the bunker.

An employee helped him dispose of the body? He did it alone? Which is it? Why hasn't the employee been arrested too? I hope DNA reveals both of the perpetrators.
 
At first I thought he was out driving and happened to come across her as she was walking/jogging.
A crime of opportunity.
Now I'm thinking he was stalking her ?
How would he have known she'd be out in that area, hiking ?
Great point, and I agree. I think he may have seen her the day(s) before, then laid his trap. She had been there what, 5 years in a row? this is where all the background info comes into play (country of origin, music, political affiliations). Some seem to dismiss it all as off topic, but I believe it is very much relevant
 
From a Greek news source:

Το σημείο που σκότωσε την 60χρονη Suzanne Eaton ο 27χρονος δράστης (φωτο)

Το σημείο που σκότωσε την 60χρονη Suzanne Eaton ο 27χρονος δράστης (φωτο)

The place where the 27 year old perpetrator killed the 60 year old Suzanne Eaton (with photos)

Ούτε ένα χιλιόμετρο από την Ορθόδοξη Ακαδημία Κρήτης

Not even one kilometer from the Orthodox Academy of Crete

(my translation only)

this image is from the article:

dolofoniasuzan.jpg

Is this saying that she was taken up this road and assaulted there? Is that why there is footage of people in white suits in a field? Is point 2 where she was murdered?

upload_2019-7-15_21-52-53.png
 
I doubt it. My guess is that she was simply a convenient target in the right place during a time that felt "right" for the attacker.

Likewise, I don't know how many women in rural Greece jog alone in excersize clothes on roads. I do know that in arch rival Turkey, it was very rare as it invited attention (not necessarily murder- just persistent Romeos making assumptions). Greece, however, maybe different.

Patrick Jane, any input regarding rural Greece and frequency of local women jogging women is welcome.

Well said. In all probability, the interest in metal bands and bunkers just follows the macho interests that a lot of such murderers gravitate towards. Politics associated with such things are not usually on the radar. Rather, they are attracted to the "hard core", macho, and dangerous "bad a...." association.

(my opinion only)

I'd say it's somewhat rare to see local women jogging.
However, tourist women jogging are seen frequently.
 
Is this saying that she was taken up this road and assaulted there? Is that why there is footage of people in white suits in a field? Is point 2 where she was murdered?

View attachment 193621

(my opinion only)

If I'm looking at that map correctly, that road doesn't go back to the Academy. Which means the victim wouldn't have been on that road. Which means the perp took her there. Which means the perp's story is not accurate.
 
<modsnip - quoted post has been removed>

(my opinion only)

If you were to phrase it "why would a Greek perp select a tourist as a target instead of a Greek?", then here's my speculation:

killing a Greek woman is too high-risk for a perp like this

If a Greek perp killed a Greek woman vs a random tourist, then it's a guarantee (in usual circumstances) that the amount of "heat" on him would be much higher. However, in this case, the perp (seemingly unknowingly) selected a target who (due to her job and status) was very high profile and not just "some tourist", and this brought the perp much more heat than he was ever expecting.

If a Greek perp killed a Greek woman, there would be intense local outrage. (note of caution: I'm not saying that there isn't intense local outrage on this case. I'm saying in the perp's mind he was trying to avoid intense local outrage).

On Crete if a Cretan perp killed a Cretan woman he'd not only have to worry about the police, he'd have to worry about the Cretan woman's entire family and extended family which might be coming for him to seek revenge. The Cretan vendetta is not as prominent as it once was, but it still exists. There's a good chance he'd be killed if he ever got out of prison. At a minimum he'd be looking over his shoulder the rest of his life.

A Greek perp like this would never know which Greek woman (he randomly targeted) he killed. Did he just kill someone from a family that has a lot of brothers? A lot of brothers who are going to come after me and kill me because I just killed their only sister? Did he just kill someone who has criminal connections? Some Greek girl from a family that doesn't give a damn about the police and is going to get revenge on him?

In support of my theory, the Cyprus SK targeted exclusively foreign women and their children.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Sorry, i am so late with this. So glad he was found but confused by some of the details. Here is a quick overview of some German news sources.

- He is known as mentally ill, a voyeur, and became aroused when he saw Dr. Eaton jogging. (Griechische Medien berichten: Killer der Forscherin auf Kreta gefasst)

- He initially stated that he hit her accidentally. Subsequently him and a friend drove her to the cave. When they realized that she was still breathing, she was suffocated. (Griechische Medien berichten: Killer der Forscherin auf Kreta gefasst)

- They arrested him based on DNA in/on his vehicle (Griechische Medien berichten: Killer der Forscherin auf Kreta gefasst)

- He initially hit her with his vehicle and then injured her with a knife. (Suzanne Eaton: Mann aus Kreta soll Mord gestanden haben)

- He hit Dr. Eaton with his vehicle on purpose. (Kreta: 27-Jähriger soll Mord an Dresdner Forscherin gestanden haben - WELT)

- Police is expected to release additional details on Tuesday. (Kreta: 27-Jähriger soll Mord an Dresdner Forscherin gestanden haben - WELT)

I think that there is limited info at the present time and every article i looked at has the same info in pretty much the same words.

RIP Dr. Eaton. Heartbroken...:(
 
(my opinion only)

I'd say it's somewhat rare to see local women jogging.
However, tourist women jogging are seen frequently.

Agreed. I never see local women jogging either when I visit my relatives in my home island. One time I went running during the day, my Dad said “the locals are going to think you’re training for the Olympics” which is funny because citydancer mentioned the same thing. That usually if someone is running midday locals tend to think they are athletes training for a sporting event.
 
(my opinion only)

If you were to phrase it "why would a Greek perp select a tourist as a target instead of a Greek?", then here's my speculation:

killing a Greek woman is too high-risk for a perp like this

If a Greek perp killed a Greek woman vs a random tourist, then it's a guarantee (in usual circumstances) that the amount of "heat" on him would be much higher. However, in this case, the perp (seemingly unknowingly) selected a target who (due to her job and status) was very high profile and not just "some tourist", and this brought the perp much more heat than he was ever expecting.

If a Greek perp killed a Greek woman, there would be intense local outrage. (note of caution: I'm not saying that there isn't intense local outrage on this case. I'm saying in the perp's mind he was trying to avoid intense local outrage).

On Crete if a Cretan perp killed a Cretan woman he'd not only have to worry about the police, he'd have to worry about the Cretan woman's entire family and extended family which might be coming for him to seek revenge. The Cretan vendetta is not as prominent as it once was, but it still exists. There's a good chance he'd be killed if he ever got out of prison. At a minimum he'd be looking over his shoulder the rest of his life.

A Greek perp like this would never know which Greek woman (he randomly targeted) he killed. Did he just kill someone from a family that has a lot of brothers? A lot of brothers who are going to come after me and kill me because I just killed their only sister? Did he just kill someone who has criminal connections? Some Greek girl from a family that doesn't give a damn about the police and is going to get revenge on him?

In support of my theory, the Cyprus SK targeted exclusively foreign women and their children.
Thank you, @Patrick Jane!

I had been thinking that murdering a tourist would, in the minds of a perp, attract unwanted attention due to local embarrassment over it (this is really bad for business!), but I think you've made a very persuasive case for why in his mind that would have been worth it.

Also thinking perhaps he thought if he killed a local woman, it would be more easily traced back to him just due to being a member of the community and possibly having some connection to her. So, maybe, in his mind, a tourist was also more desirable simply because it might seem more random and less likely to be tied to him.

In any event, I've appreciated the local feedback from you, @CityDancer, and @glassheater and any of the other posters here who are Greek or from Crete. Not that other folks haven't had great comments--they have--but it is so helpful to have the knowledge and perspective of folks familiar with the area/culture. :)
 
(my opinion only)

If you were to phrase it "why would a Greek perp select a tourist as a target instead of a Greek?", then here's my speculation:

killing a Greek woman is too high-risk for a perp like this

If a Greek perp killed a Greek woman vs a random tourist, then it's a guarantee (in usual circumstances) that the amount of "heat" on him would be much higher. However, in this case, the perp (seemingly unknowingly) selected a target who (due to her job and status) was very high profile and not just "some tourist", and this brought the perp much more heat than he was ever expecting.

If a Greek perp killed a Greek woman, there would be intense local outrage. (note of caution: I'm not saying that there isn't intense local outrage on this case. I'm saying in the perp's mind he was trying to avoid intense local outrage).

On Crete if a Cretan perp killed a Cretan woman he'd not only have to worry about the police, he'd have to worry about the Cretan woman's entire family and extended family which might be coming for him to seek revenge. The Cretan vendetta is not as prominent as it once was, but it still exists. There's a good chance he'd be killed if he ever got out of prison. At a minimum he'd be looking over his shoulder the rest of his life.

A Greek perp like this would never know which Greek woman (he randomly targeted) he killed. Did he just kill someone from a family that has a lot of brothers? A lot of brothers who are going to come after me and kill me because I just killed their only sister? Did he just kill someone who has criminal connections? Some Greek girl from a family that doesn't give a damn about the police and is going to get revenge on him?

In support of my theory, the Cyprus SK targeted exclusively foreign women and their children.

I second this as well.
 
I wonder if he inherited the farm from his grandparents. Is he managing it, or is he spending it. Is the farm that profitable? Crete was a very poor Island in the 1970s, and tourists have been bouncing in bikinis on the Crete beaches since the 60s, eating oranges off the back of wagons and playing backgammon.

Crete was poor up to the mid-70s but the situation has changed dramatically. They make and export goods that are valued highly in the international market (olives, olive oil, wines, liquor, pharmaceutical herbs) and in the past 3-4 decades this has really taken off the charts. Also, tourism has exploded. So a lot of money has been made. The perp is said to come from a rich local family, one of the richest in the region. They are also saying he's the son of a priest. I guess we'll hear more today and in the days to come.

I would guess his motive to be typical machismo accompanied by hatred for his mother and mother figures in general. His speech is very strange: he sounds almost retarded, his tone of voice is almost that of a little boy. This was the first thing that struck me about him. That's not what a grown man is supposed to sound like.

As re: jogging, it's true that in the islands local women rarely want to be seen exercising in public, especially on their own. Some of them, mostly aged 30 or younger, may go to gyms, dance schools and do sports. But I wouldn't expect to see a local woman exercising out on her own on one of the islands. The situation is completely different in Athens and the big cities.
 
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