Thanos Papalexis
Encyclopedia
Thanos Papalexis Greek
- Θάνος Παπαλέξης (b. 23 July 1972, London) is a businessman and property developer of Greek descent, and also a convicted killer. In 2000 he murdered a stubborn tenant in order to secure a £2m deal on a London property he owned.
and university, he joined his family's group of shipping companies and led its diversification from shipping and oil trading into real estate
. He was the CEO of the Sisemen Corporation, a development firm specializing in 'hybrid boutique properties'.
Papalexis was the head of several real estate
investment
and hospitality
businesses. He created a 200 year landlease format which his companies acquired several properties in Palm Beach
, Florida. He is best known for selling properties on such leases at the top of the market, one of which was sold for close to $12m after only 6 months of creating the lease.
He was also known for holding separate negotiations with 119 individual unit owners of a hurricane damaged high rise building in West Palm Beach for up to $57m. The deal fell through after the $20m insurance claim the condoboard had represented to Papalexis would be collectable started to become questionable in its value.
Papalexis settled a dispute with Michael Cantor, from whom he had rented an oceanfront estate on Palm Beach. On 15 February 2008 The New York Times reported Mr Cantor as saying "I'm trying to ascertain the damages" after the property had been used for several lavish parties including a fundraising event with former President Bill Clinton.
A company of which Papalexis was the founder is suing a leasing company for fraud regarding a luxury jet.
At the time of the murder Papalexis had been trying to force through a £2m deal to buy the warehouse where Christodoulides lived and then sell it on for a quick profit in order to prop up another business. However Christodoulides refused to move and, worried about the potential financial consequences, Papalexis had him murdered.
The Times reported on 8 September 2009, that the case against Papalexis was strengthened after a former Miami porn star and £1,750-a-night prostitute stated that he had confessed to the killing. Rebecca DeFalco told US marshals that her former lover told her he had killed a man who was a “problem” and gave her a graphic description of the murder. The victim, a sitting tenant who had lived in the flat for most of his adult life, refused to move out after Papalexis received a £2.3 million offer for the derelict warehouse in Kilburn. The developer was desperate to sell to raise funds to save his ailing business. It was claimed that he ordered hired hands to beat and kill Mr Christodoulides in March 2000.
Papalexis, the son of a Greek shipping magnate, was found guilty on 4 September 2009 of murder after a three-month trial at the Old Bailey
. The jury failed to reach verdicts on murder charges against Robert Baxhija, 29, and Ylli Xhelo, 36, his alleged henchmen, both Albanian illegal immigrants.
Mr Christodoulides’s family quickly reported him missing, but although police found blood stains and his glasses in the warehouse, it was not until two weeks later that his body was found in a garage inspection pit in the warehouse complex.
Despite the killing, the warehouse sale fell through and Papalexis was saddled with debts of £8 million. As the receivers moved in, he fled to the US and reinvented himself as a debonair playboy, dressing in Savile Row
suits, driving a Bentley
and kitting out his office with thrones. He attended parties with America’s social elite, including Paris Hilton
and the designer Valentino. He invited friends to his beach-front mansion in Florida to join Bill Clinton
at a fundraising gala for his wife, Hillary.
After Mr Christodoulides’s body was found, the investigation stalled because of a lack of evidence. However, a cigarette stub gathered in the warehouse yielded Papalexis’s and, allegedly, his henchmen’s DNA. There were also fingerprints on tape used to bind the victim’s feet. When the Albanians were arrested they said that Papalexis had asked them to go to the warehouse and forced them at gunpoint to wrap the body. Papalexis was arrested in Palm Beach, Florida, extradited and charged with murder. At the time of his arrest his American business dealings were in turmoil; he was being chased by creditors for $2 million (£1.2 million), including for unpaid rent on his $3 million mansion.
During the trial, he was described as a “classic psychopath” whose gratification in criminal, sexual and aggressive impulses was out of control. He indulged in sadistic sex and hired prostitutes for orgies at his mansion. In his entry on a sadomasochism website, he described himself as “the king of his own realm and all others are to be subjected to his will”.
The jury initially failed to reach verdicts on Baxhija and Xhelo, who were both charged with murder. In the subsequent retrial both were found guilty and on 15 February 2010 were sentenced to life imprisonment. Papalexis, who denied the murder, was jailed for life with a minimum of 20 years on 30 September 2009.
A 30-minute television programme The Playboy Murderer, about Papalexis and the murder, was broadcast in July 2010.
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
- Θάνος Παπαλέξης (b. 23 July 1972, London) is a businessman and property developer of Greek descent, and also a convicted killer. In 2000 he murdered a stubborn tenant in order to secure a £2m deal on a London property he owned.
Business and disputes
After leaving Mill Hill SchoolMill Hill School
Mill Hill School, in Mill Hill, London, is a coeducational independent school for boarding and day pupils aged 13–18. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference, an organisation of public schools in the United Kingdom....
and university, he joined his family's group of shipping companies and led its diversification from shipping and oil trading into real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
. He was the CEO of the Sisemen Corporation, a development firm specializing in 'hybrid boutique properties'.
Papalexis was the head of several real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
investment
Investment
Investment has different meanings in finance and economics. Finance investment is putting money into something with the expectation of gain, that upon thorough analysis, has a high degree of security for the principal amount, as well as security of return, within an expected period of time...
and hospitality
Hospitality
Hospitality is the relationship between guest and host, or the act or practice of being hospitable. Specifically, this includes the reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers, resorts, membership clubs, conventions, attractions, special events, and other services for travelers...
businesses. He created a 200 year landlease format which his companies acquired several properties in Palm Beach
Palm Beach, Florida
The Town of Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The Intracoastal Waterway separates it from the neighboring cities of West Palm Beach and Lake Worth...
, Florida. He is best known for selling properties on such leases at the top of the market, one of which was sold for close to $12m after only 6 months of creating the lease.
He was also known for holding separate negotiations with 119 individual unit owners of a hurricane damaged high rise building in West Palm Beach for up to $57m. The deal fell through after the $20m insurance claim the condoboard had represented to Papalexis would be collectable started to become questionable in its value.
Papalexis settled a dispute with Michael Cantor, from whom he had rented an oceanfront estate on Palm Beach. On 15 February 2008 The New York Times reported Mr Cantor as saying "I'm trying to ascertain the damages" after the property had been used for several lavish parties including a fundraising event with former President Bill Clinton.
A company of which Papalexis was the founder is suing a leasing company for fraud regarding a luxury jet.
Murder of Charalambos Christodoulides
In March 2000, Charalambos Christodoulides was tortured and beaten to death in a deserted warehouse in Kensal Rise, north-west London before his body was stuffed into an auto mechanic's pit.At the time of the murder Papalexis had been trying to force through a £2m deal to buy the warehouse where Christodoulides lived and then sell it on for a quick profit in order to prop up another business. However Christodoulides refused to move and, worried about the potential financial consequences, Papalexis had him murdered.
The Times reported on 8 September 2009, that the case against Papalexis was strengthened after a former Miami porn star and £1,750-a-night prostitute stated that he had confessed to the killing. Rebecca DeFalco told US marshals that her former lover told her he had killed a man who was a “problem” and gave her a graphic description of the murder. The victim, a sitting tenant who had lived in the flat for most of his adult life, refused to move out after Papalexis received a £2.3 million offer for the derelict warehouse in Kilburn. The developer was desperate to sell to raise funds to save his ailing business. It was claimed that he ordered hired hands to beat and kill Mr Christodoulides in March 2000.
Papalexis, the son of a Greek shipping magnate, was found guilty on 4 September 2009 of murder after a three-month trial at the Old Bailey
Old Bailey
The Central Criminal Court in England and Wales, commonly known as the Old Bailey from the street in which it stands, is a court building in central London, one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court...
. The jury failed to reach verdicts on murder charges against Robert Baxhija, 29, and Ylli Xhelo, 36, his alleged henchmen, both Albanian illegal immigrants.
Mr Christodoulides’s family quickly reported him missing, but although police found blood stains and his glasses in the warehouse, it was not until two weeks later that his body was found in a garage inspection pit in the warehouse complex.
Despite the killing, the warehouse sale fell through and Papalexis was saddled with debts of £8 million. As the receivers moved in, he fled to the US and reinvented himself as a debonair playboy, dressing in Savile Row
Savile Row
Savile Row is a shopping street in Mayfair, central London, famous for its traditional men's bespoke tailoring. The term "bespoke" is understood to have originated in Savile Row when cloth for a suit was said to "be spoken for" by individual customers...
suits, driving a Bentley
Bentley
Bentley Motors Limited is a British manufacturer of automobiles founded on 18 January 1919 by Walter Owen Bentley known as W.O. Bentley or just "W O". Bentley had been previously known for his range of rotary aero-engines in World War I, the most famous being the Bentley BR1 as used in later...
and kitting out his office with thrones. He attended parties with America’s social elite, including Paris Hilton
Paris Hilton
Paris Whitney Hilton is an American businesswoman, heiress, and socialite. She is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton . Hilton is known for her controversial participation in a sex tape in 2003, and appearance on the television series The Simple Life alongside fellow socialite and childhood...
and the designer Valentino. He invited friends to his beach-front mansion in Florida to join Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
at a fundraising gala for his wife, Hillary.
After Mr Christodoulides’s body was found, the investigation stalled because of a lack of evidence. However, a cigarette stub gathered in the warehouse yielded Papalexis’s and, allegedly, his henchmen’s DNA. There were also fingerprints on tape used to bind the victim’s feet. When the Albanians were arrested they said that Papalexis had asked them to go to the warehouse and forced them at gunpoint to wrap the body. Papalexis was arrested in Palm Beach, Florida, extradited and charged with murder. At the time of his arrest his American business dealings were in turmoil; he was being chased by creditors for $2 million (£1.2 million), including for unpaid rent on his $3 million mansion.
During the trial, he was described as a “classic psychopath” whose gratification in criminal, sexual and aggressive impulses was out of control. He indulged in sadistic sex and hired prostitutes for orgies at his mansion. In his entry on a sadomasochism website, he described himself as “the king of his own realm and all others are to be subjected to his will”.
The jury initially failed to reach verdicts on Baxhija and Xhelo, who were both charged with murder. In the subsequent retrial both were found guilty and on 15 February 2010 were sentenced to life imprisonment. Papalexis, who denied the murder, was jailed for life with a minimum of 20 years on 30 September 2009.
A 30-minute television programme The Playboy Murderer, about Papalexis and the murder, was broadcast in July 2010.