Two Jailed For 'Property Deal' Murder

Two further men have been sentenced to life for the murder of Charalambos Christodoulides almost 10 years ago.

Ylli Xhelo, 36-years-old of no fixed abode was sentenced to life to serve a minimum of 17 years.

Robert Baxhija, 30-years-old a painter of Sidney Avenue, N13 was sentenced to life to serve a minimum of 15 years.

Both were found guilty by majority verdicts of 11 to one of the murder following a trial at the Old Bailey.

Thanos Papalexis, 37, is already serving a life prison sentence for the murder following a trial at the Old Bailey in September 2009.

In 1999 Papalexis was developing a property in Holloway. This development was chaotic and Papalexis found himself in financial difficulties.

Charalambos Christodoulides lived in a small flat within a warehouse in Bannister Road, Kilburn that was owned by his brother-in-law, Michael Lanitis, who put the warehouse on the market.

In November 1999, despite his mounting debts Papalexis agreed to purchase the warehouse from Mr Lanitis, however unbeknown to him, Papalexis had arranged to sell the property on, without disclosing to the end purchaser of Mr Christodoulides' presence there.

Papalexis went to the warehouse on the morning of Friday 10 March 2000 with Xhelo and Baxhija, where they murdered Mr Christodoulides, and attempted to set his body alight, before concealing it there pending its removal.

Mr Christodoulides' family became concerned when he failed to go to his sister's for lunch the following Sunday.

By Thursday his family were so concerned they contacted police.

The same day, concerned at his brother-in-law's disappearance, Mr Lanitis called off the sale of the warehouse to Papalexis, demanded the return of the keys to the warehouse, and within days the Receivers were called in to the Holloway project.

On Friday 17 March 2000 Papalexis booked a holiday in the Maldives and left the country the following week.

Officers searched the warehouse, but whilst their concern was raised by the discovery of his glasses and wallet they did not find the dead man's body.

A more detailed search of the warehouse was undertaken and on 25 March 2000 his body was found concealed in an inspection pit in the garage area.

A post mortem examination found Mr Christodoulides had been subjected to a sustained assault and died as a result of strangulation.

Following the murder Papalexis moved to Palm Beach, confident that the investigation had ended without identifying him.

Baxhija and Xhelo were deported following the failure of their asylum claims, and before their involvement in the murder was known.

In March 2008 the pair were arrested in a van they were driving on the A10.

In November 2008 Papalexis was arrested in West Palm Beach, Florida, when he returned there from the Bahamas.

He was extradited to the UK, and arrested by officers at Heathrow Airport.

Papalexis was found guilty of the murder on Friday 4 September 2009 following a trial at the Old Bailey.

(PR/BMcC)