Smartwatches have become a popular accessory for many people to wear and use as an extension of their mobile phones. The devices have been known to save the lives of those who have suffered a medical emergency and also provide evidence to prove a killer guilty of murder.
Caroline Crouch grew up on the idyllic Greek island of Alonissos with her Filipino mother, Susan Dela Cuesta, and her British father, David Crouch. Those who knew Caroline described the 19-year-old as a popular girl who was always smiling and kind to everyone. She excelled academically and athletically, earning herself a blackbelt in kickboxing.
At a Good Friday parade on the island in 2017, a then 15-year-old Caroline met pilot Babis Anagnostopoulos, who was 13 years her senior. Despite the large age gap, the relationship was deemed legal, with the age of consent in Greece being 15.
When Caroline turned 17, Anagnostopoulos proposed, and the following year, they eloped in the Algarve, Portugal. The couple moved to a luxurious home in the Athens suburb of Glyka Nera and gave birth to their daughter in June 2020.
Social media depicted a happy couple, but behind closed doors, their marriage was turbulent. A diary later discovered hidden in Caroline’s wardrobe contained entries implying her husband was dangerous. Chillingly, the diary passages had been written in code, suggesting it was to prevent Anagnostopoulos from reading if he found it.
In May 2021, the police forced their way into the couple’s home following a phone call from Anagnostopoulos, where they found Caroline tied up and strangled to death in front of her crying daughter. Her husband had also been bound and gagged but managed to break free and make the call for help. The family puppy, Roxy, had also been killed and a large sum of cash and jewellery had been taken.
Anagnostopoulos told officers that armed robbers broke into their home and killed his wife. He told reporters, ‘I wish no-one ever goes through what we went through last night. It was a nightmare. We begged the thieves not to harm us. We told them where the money was and asked them to leave us alone. The police will catch them.’
Shortly after her murder, Caroline was laid to rest on the island where she grew up in front of hundreds of mourners. Anagnostopoulos, who was pictured crying and holding his daughter, read out a moving eulogy:
‘I was very lucky that I knew Caroline and that she loved me. I was very lucky for all the moments we shared. One thing that makes me even more sad than her death is the fact that our daughter will grow up without remembering her beautiful mother who was the joy of my life.’
For over a month, Anagnostopoulos kept to his story and maintained their family home was targeted by intruders. However, Caroline’s fear of her husband began to slowly unravel.
After a memorial service for Caroline in June 2011, Anagnostopoulos was arrested and questioned by police. New biometric data evidence from Caroline’s smartwatch showed her heart had stopped beating before Anagnostopoulos claimed their house was burgled. Tracking data from Anagnostopoulos’s phone also showed he was moving around at the time he said he had been tied up.
Additional evidence was found that Anagnostopoulos disabled the security cameras and ejected the memory cards in the hours before the supposed burglary.
After 38 days, Anagnostopoulos finally confessed to the police that he had killed his wife following an argument. Reports also state that he killed the dog to make a robbery look more convincing.
At trial, Anagnostopoulos claimed that his wife’s murder was not premeditated but was the result of being in a ‘blurred state of mind’. The killer had previously attempted to blame Caroline’s ‘dangerous outbursts’ and claimed he had been a victim of her physical abuse.
In May 2022, Anagnostopoulos was found guilty of murder at the Athens Mixed Jury Court. He was also found guilty of additional charges, including animal abuse and perverting the course of justice.
The disgraced pilot was sentenced to life in prison and was given an additional 11 years and six months for the murder of the puppy, as well as a fine of €21,000. He is currently serving his sentence at the Korydallos Prison.
