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

[glassheater]

Such a tragedy for his wife and children too. I’m glad LE pursued this case so diligently. What a senseless act. So many lives negatively affected. He is from a village 5 minutes away from Xamoudochori.

Source: Apple maps

 

[Curiousobserver]

And they believe they located a person who helped him dispose of the body.

Συνελήφθη ο δολοφόνος της 60χρονης Αμερικανίδας βιολόγου Suzanne Eaton στα Χανιά

 

[glassheater]

Kissasmos ( where he lives now) is a bit away from Xaloudourchi. But since he grew up so close he no doubt had extensive knowledge around that area.

 

[Patrick Jane]

There is an arrest. He has confessed.

Κρήτη: Συνελήφθη ύποπτος για τη δολοφονία της Αμερικανίδας βιολόγου

from the report:

αγρότη

farmer

(my translation)

 

[Kitsey]

Omg!! Thank god he is caught!! I hope he is brought to justice swiftly.

 

[otto]

And they believe they located a person who helped him dispose of the body.

Συνελήφθη ο δολοφόνος της 60χρονης Αμερικανίδας βιολόγου Suzanne Eaton στα Χανιά

From your link, it sounds like his employee helped him hide the body.

"According to the same sources, there is also an alien working with police who worked for the 27-year-old and allegedly helped the suspect conceal and hide the body of the 60-year-old woman in the bunker created by the Germans during WW2 ''​

 

[Kitsey]

Says that evidence from his car was left at the scene...tire tracks?

 

[otto]

I don't believe that he hit her with a car. I think that's something he picked up based on rumor. I think this is how he will try to reduce the sentence from premeditated kidnapping and murder to accident.

The reason I think this is that it was mentioned that she would run against traffic. Suzanne was an intelligent experienced athlete and I doubt she would run with traffic on the cliff side of the road rather than the water side against traffic. Witnesses can confirm on which side of the road she was seen.

Assuming she was running against traffic, he would have to swerve to the wrong side of the road to hit her. Furthermore, if he hit her with a vehicle, she would not have numerous stab injuries and defensive wounds.

 

[afitzy]

I need to explain a bit about the roads here.
Some people have mentioned the "main road", but I think this is confusing and not correct. When locals speak of the "main road" they are referring to the Old National Road. This is the heavily traveled road.
Also I'll explain those towns. Kolimbari has large hotels, is a fishing village, and is a very popular for fish taverns. I was there last week and can tell you that there was traffic into and out of Kolimbari even during the siesta hours because Greeks eat late lunches and may leave the taverns during the siesta hours, and also there is tourist activity.
Because it is up high, you can see the Academy from many points in Kolimbari. But from the Academy and beyond towards Afrata I'd consider that road as not regularly traveled and isolated. I've never gone that way. And the road to Afrata is not visible from Kolimbari.
So to summarize, many people travel to Kolimbari, but not many at all go to Afrata.

@Patrick Jane Great info! Thank you for posting. Did you see the picture of the 'pit' near the fork in the road to Afrata that @otto posted further up in the thread? I am curious still as to whether this pit could have been where the perp/s hid until it was dark.

It was hard to tell from google maps how visible this pit would be either to the people in the village of Afrata or from the road? When you passed this area did the pit seem like a viable location for a car to hide and not be seen? Were there any other locations along the route where a car could have hidden and not be seen?

It seems from the news reports that there might be a location/crime scene where SE was taken after she was taken from the road. Any thoughts based on what you saw? MOO

 

[Patrick Jane]

Sadly, yes. He has 2 children.

***ETA: He's reported to be a married man with psychological problems. He initially hit her with his car then attacked her with a knife. Κρήτη: Άνδρας ομολόγησε την δολοφονία της Αμερικανίδας Βιολόγου

from the article:

Έχει περιουσία κοντά στο σημείο που βρέθηκε νεκρή η Αμερικανίδα Βιολόγος.

He has inheritance/property near the place where the (female) American biologist was found dead.

(my translation)

 

[otto]

Says that evidence from his car was left at the scene...tire tracks?

There were tire tracks at the bunker.

 

[otto]

Here's the location where she was most likely abducted. She was running towards the academy. This image is taken pointing towards the academy. Do we really believe that she was running with traffic on the right side of the winding road? It seems very unlikely.

I think the only way that he could hit her with a car is if he hit her head on driving towards her, which seems intentional, or he had to swerve to the wrong side of the road to hit her. I'd like to know whether he was heading to or from Afrata, and why he was in the area. I'd also like to know how he actually abducted her - omitting the car accident story.

 

[CityDancer]

They found him based on the tire tracks and it was verified by his cellphone signal. He cracked during interrogation.
Στα χέρια της ΕΛ.ΑΣ ο δολοφόνος της Αμερικανίδας βιολόγου στην Κρήτη

He admitted to being a peeping tom and said his motive was sexual.
Suzanne Eaton: Τι είπε στους αστυνομικούς ο άνδρας που συνελήφθη για τη δολοφονία

 

[afitzy]

First very basic article about the arrest I've found in english:
Suspect in Murderer of US Scientist Suzanne Eaton Arrested on Crete | GreekReporter.com

 

[otto]

They found him based on the tire tracks and it was verified by his cellphone signal. He cracked during interrogation.
Στα χέρια της ΕΛ.ΑΣ ο δολοφόνος της Αμερικανίδας βιολόγου στην Κρήτη

He admitted to being a peeping tom and said his motive was sexual.
Suzanne Eaton: Τι είπε στους αστυνομικούς ο άνδρας που συνελήφθη για τη δολοφονία

That sounds more realistic! If he hit her with his car, it was only to abduct her and not an accident. His psychological problems are restricted to being a sexual predator.

 

[Lexiintoronto]

He is a 27-year-old father of two, DailyMail.com can reveal.

Police sources said he was arrested over the weekend and has reportedly confessed to killing Dr Eaton.

Detective believed that only a local person would have known the locality of the hidden cave, which was a former Nazi bunker.

The detained man is believed to come from Meleme, which is a only a few miles from the hidden 200-feet long cave’s location.

Sources said police believed the suspect, a local farmer, had a sexual motives.

She was attacked as she walked back to the convention center she had been staying at.

‘He hit her with his car to stop her from running and then stabbed her’ said the source.

Police found him by tracing his cell phone to the area and found his car tracks near the cave.

Greek police arrest man, 27, for murder of US biologist in Crete | Daily Mail Online

Posters here (especially locals) who theorized that he used his car to hit her, maybe just to knock her off balance, and then appear to ‘come to her aid’, were right.

 

[otto]

Next steps - is anyone familiar with trial and sentencing for murder in Greece? In Italy, for example, when a suspect confesses the sentence is automatically reduced by 1/3 (e.g.: Meredith Kercher murder). Is that the case in Greece as well?

 

[otto]

Greek police arrest man, 27, for murder of US biologist in Crete | Daily Mail Online

Posters here (especially locals) who theorized that he used his car to hit her, maybe just to knock her off balance, and then appear to ‘come to her aid’, were right.

That is only if you believe the suspect. Rumor was swirling that this was a car accident, so perhaps the suspect decided to use that excuse to avoid full responsibility for kidnapping and murder for sexual motive.

 

[glassheater]

I hope he is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and locked up to not be seen again. The diligent work of LE saved other lives.

R.I.P. Dr. Eaton. I never knew you yet the way you’ve lived your life full of zest, curiosity, accomplishments, strong relationships with others is an inspiration and your example is one that many of us could learn from and follow. It was very obvious you were fiercely loved and respected by others. You lived more in 59 years than some people do in 100.

 

[Lexiintoronto]

That is only if you believe the suspect. Rumor was swirling that this was a car accident, so perhaps the suspect decided to use that excuse to avoid full responsibility for kidnapping and murder for sexual motive.

The story is ‘sourced’, not an official statement, but it says he intentionally hit her to stop her from running. He didn’t say it was an accident.

The big caveat is that it’s sourced information.