5 suspects in killing of UC Berkeley professor appear in Greek court

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Five suspects implicated in the killing of a University of California, Berkeley professor appeared in court in Athens on Thursday, including his ex-wife, who has denied all charges.

Przemyslaw Jeziorski, 43, was shot and killed July 4 in Athens while visiting Greece to see his two young children and finalize legal arrangements for future visitation.

Among those who appeared in court was Jeziorski’s Greek ex-wife, who remains in police custody on charges of solicitation to commit murder. Her boyfriend, a 35-year-old Greek man, has been charged with murder.

Three other men, also charged as alleged accomplices, were present. All five appeared at a central Athens court and were given until Monday to prepare their defense, court officials said.

Alexandros Pasiatas, a lawyer for the ex-wife, said she had no role in the crime.

“From the outset, my client has maintained that she is innocent and has no involvement in the crime,” Pasiatas said. “The evidence is overwhelmingly in her favor.”

Jeziorski, who was born in Poland, was an associate professor of marketing at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. In a statement this week, the school described him as a “passionate teacher and leading marketing scholar.”