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Greek authorities have arrested five people, including the ex-wife of UC Berkeley professor Przemyslaw Jeziorski and her current partner, in connection with the American academic’s killing earlier this month in a quiet Athens suburb.
Jeziorski, 43, a respected economist and marketing professor at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, was gunned down on July 4 outside a residential building in Agia Paraskevi, near the home of his ex-wife, just a day after attending a court hearing over custody of his two children.
Police said the suspects, two Greeks, two Albanians, and one Bulgarian, were initially brought in for questioning before formal arrest warrants were issued. Among those in custody are the 43-year-old ex-wife and her 35-year-old partner, according to Greece’s public broadcaster ERT. All five are due to appear before a prosecutor Thursday morning.
Authorities say Jeziorski was shot multiple times in broad daylight by a masked man who approached him on foot. The gunman fired at close range, striking him in the neck and chest, and fled the scene. Witnesses reported hearing up to six gunshots.
Police recovered seven shell casings from a 9mm handgun at the scene. The killing has the markings of a professional hit, according to a police source who spoke to media on condition of anonymity.
The slain professor, originally from Poland, had no known criminal record in Greece and was reportedly visiting to see his children and attend the family court proceedings.
Jeziorski’s family has launched an online fundraiser to help cover the costs of returning his body to Poland and legal expenses related to the case. “Our family is heartbroken, and we are doing everything we can to ensure that justice is served,” wrote his brother, Łukasz Jeziorski.
UC Berkeley mourned the loss of the professor, describing him as a passionate educator who taught over 1,500 graduate and doctoral students in his 13 years at the university.
Jenny Chatman, dean of the Haas School of Business, called Jeziorski “a beloved member of our marketing faculty,” adding she was “heartbroken” by the news of his death.
The investigation is ongoing.
*With information from CNN
