By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2026-08-04 14:11:21 | Updated at 2026-08-04 16:14:25
2 hours ago
The aunt of an American woman who married the Afghan migrant accused of murdering a British charity worker and stuffing her body in a suitcase has revealed her family was always against the marriage, according to a report.
Sharif Ahmadzai, 26, was arrested over the alleged murder of Elisabeth-Jane Ross in Greece before her body was ditched in a suitcase in an abandoned Athens building.
In 2016, Ahmadzai, a professional boxer from Afghanistan, arrived on a people smuggler’s boat on the Greek island of Lesvos, where he met American Alaina Hall.
Hall, now 28, of Ringgold, Georgia, set up a ministry for refugees in Athens with Ahmadzai, and the pair married in 2023 after he converted to Christianity.
They reportedly have a child together.
But Hall’s paternal aunt said her brother, pilot Thomas Hall, 65, and sister-in-law Susan, 61, were never happy about the marriage.
“I’ve never met [Ahmadzai], I’ve only heard about him. But I can tell you my brother and sister-in-law never wanted them to get married,” Leanne Hall told the Daily Mail.
It comes as Greek authorities said they believe Ahmadzai allegedly murdered Ross, a charity worker from Scotland, following a possible attempted mugging or sexual assault.
“We believe there was a confrontation,” a law enforcement source told the Daily Mail.
“But was that spurred by Ross discovering the Afghan rummaging through her things and stealing her credit cards, or was it a case of sexual assault or the Briton spurning his advances?” the source added.
