A power struggle with fan-related undertones lies behind the brutal murder of a 15-year-old in Kallithea committed by a 17-year-old.
The perpetrator confessed to the crime, while charges were filed against three other individuals who participated in the fatal brawl. The victim was identified 12 full hours later through his fingerprints, due to an initial misunderstanding regarding his age. His mother had been searching for him using an app on his cell phone, only to eventually learn that he was dead at Hippocrates Hospital. The murder in Kallithea is the third in just six months involving a minor as the victim.
The timeline of the murder
The dispute over the square in Agia Eleousa regarding who would “run the show” as well as a faint “fan-related” element are believed to have triggered the fatal clash on Wednesday night.
Shortly before midnight, agroup of eight 16-year-olds—fans of Olympiacos, AEK, and Panathinaikos— all residents of Kallithea, began verbally attacking three people, who, according to police sources, are Olympiacos fans living in Palaio Faliro.
The group of “8,” wanting to show the rival group who’s “boss” in the area, attempted to harass the three individuals. At that point, one of them called a friend, asking for… backup. Five people, including the 15-year-old, immediately arrived at the scene by car.
The two rival groups began fighting, using knives and bats. During the altercation, 17-year-old M. pulled out a knife and stabbed the victim in the chest. The 15-year-old, seriously injured and covered in blood, tried to ask local residents for help. He managed to run 100 meters before finally reaching Megaloupoleos Street, where his strength gave out and he collapsed onto the road.
Shocked residents, upon seeing the minor lying on the road, called EKAV and Emergency Services. Despite the rescuers’ efforts, the 15-year-old died on the street. An eyewitness to the 15-year-old’s final moments stated that “I was walking with my husband and my baby when we saw people running. We saw him on the street covered in blood.
We tried to help him; we tried for 5–10 minutes, but then he lost consciousness.” Police officials took 13 people into custody, with four of them being arrested on suspicion of involvement in the homicide. The 17-year-old suspect confessed that he was the one who fatally stabbed the 15-year-old, while claiming that he had thrown the murder weapon into a trash can in the area. Officers from the Crime Investigation Unit of the Kallithea Precinct were conducting extensive searches to locate the knife, literally searching through the trash with their hands.
The victim’s profile
Officers from the Criminal Investigation Division of the Hellenic Police managed to identify the 15-year-old from his fingerprints, as, as of noon on Thursday, they had not been able to locate anyone from his family circle.
The minor had come to the attention of the authorities for various offenses and had a criminal record. On June 12, he was arrested while riding in a car driven by the son of a well-known politician, in possession of a folding metal rod. In February 2025, he had been the victim of an assault in the city center while found in possession of a brass knuckles.
The victim’s mother had begun searching for him early Wednesday morning after realizing he had not returned home. Using an app, she saw that her son’s cell phone was located in Kallithea, which alarmed her, as she had heard about the fatal altercation.
Because of the incorrect age initially reported for the deceased, she believed her son was among those arrested or among the injured. She contacted the Emergency Response call center and asked which hospital the injured person had been taken to, and the police officers told her he was at Hippocrates Hospital. When she realized that her son was, in fact, the person who had died in the clash and not the one who had been injured, she began shouting, “That’s not my child— my child is alive,” unable to believe that her 15-year-old son had died.
Concern within the Hellenic Police
The case of the 15-year-old’s murder in Kallithea is the third in just six monthsthat has been occupying the Greek Police. Last February, a 17-year-old died after being attacked by a 16-year-old.
The perpetrator had gotten into an argument with his victim over personal differences, and during the ensuing altercation, he stabbed the 17-year-old in the heart. Last January, the news of the murder of a 17-year-old in Serres had sent shockwaves through the local community.
The unfortunate young man had been stabbed by a 15-year-old, who claimed the motive was romantic jealousy. After being injured, instead of seeking help from his family, the 17-year-old went to the basement of his home and died alone and helpless from blood loss.
