US wife of Afghan 'killer' tells how she 'jumped out my sleep at 3am' and realised body found in a suitcase was her British charity worker friend in chilling full testimony

By SABRINA PENTY, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 12:58, 6 August 2026 | Updated: 13:01, 6 August 2026 The wife of an Afghan man accused of murdering a British woman and stuffing her remains in a suitcase has recounted the moment she realised her missing friend was dead. Sharif Ahmadzai is being held in connection with the death of Scottish Christian Elisabeth Jane Ross, also known as Lisa.  He appeared in court on Wednesday, where he denied killing Ross but claimed that an 'old man' had persuaded him to move the body.  Now, his American wife's emotional testimony has been revealed, with the woman describing how she had a realisation that Elisabeth could be dead.  US-born Christian Alaina Hall told police that she had met Elisabeth through volunteer work in Athens and had last seen her on July 12, after a Bible study meeting, Greek news outlet Protothema reports.  Days later, she heard news that a body had been found stuffed in a suitcase in a derelict building in Athens.  Later that night, Alaina recalled waking up with a 'terrible' feeling.  'Around 3:00 in the morning I jumped out of my sleep and thought of something terrible. Sharif Ahmadzai pictured with his American wife Alaina Hall. Her testimony has been revealed for the first time CCTV appeared to show Ahmadzai dragging a suitcase in the streets of Athens Elisabeth Jane Ross was found dead in Athens with her body stuffed in a suitcase 'I remembered the body of a woman who had been found in a suitcase in a place that was very close to our house. I was very afraid that the body that was found belonged to Lisa.'  The following morning, she sent a message to Elisabeth and received two replies, which raised her suspicions.  'These messages were not in Lisa's style, both in terms of her level of English and the use of emojis that she never used.' Alaina added that she tried to call Elisabeth but never received a response.   In her testimony, Alaina also told police she grew suspicious of her husband after she woke to find him missing on the evening of July 15, and, after checking his shared location, she saw that he was at Elisabeth's flat.  When she confronted him, he told her that he was out watching a football match, but had gone to Elisabeth's apartment to use the toilet.  'I don't know what to tell you, but all of the above made me feel strange. Especially combining the dates, the messages and my husband's behaviour, I have various thoughts that make me feel uncomfortable,' she told police.  Officers started probing Ahmadzai after his wife allegedly reported her husband had been behaving suspiciously on July 30. Detectives found CCTV footage which allegedly shows him leaving the apartment where Elisabeth was staying with a suitcase and dropping it where her remains were found on July 16.  Earlier this week, Protothema reported that Ahmadzai told police in a statement on Saturday that he did not kill the 38-year-old, claiming he found her dead before panicking and taking a series of unjustified actions. During the testimony, he said: 'I never did harm to anyone. I want you to understand me and believe me. I was just in a panic.' Ahmadzai told police in a statement on Saturday that he did not kill the 38-year-old Sharif Ahmadzai appeared in court on Wednesday morning where was asked to provide his version of events He claimed he had visited the house where Elisabeth was staying, and found her lying on the bathroom floor. '[She] was spitting something like water out of her mouth. I spoke to her two or three times, but she didn't respond. I froze. My legs went numb,' he said. The 26-year-old claimed he then panicked and left the house, where he encountered an elderly man near a bus stop. He reportedly asked the man what he should do after finding a dead body. '[The old man] told me that he worked with hospitals and he knows about them and what I should do is remove it from the house, or I will get into trouble. I sat and thought about what he told me for a few hours' He then admitted that he returned to the apartment the next day and placed Elisabeth's body in a black suitcase, before placing it in the boot of the red Peugeot he was driving. 'I started in the Peugeot, arrived near my house and parked it,' he said, 'I got out of the car, took the suitcase out of the trunk and walked to an abandoned building across from the Panhellenic University. 'There I found the old man I told you about who gave me the advice. He told me to leave the suitcase with him, and he would take care of it.' Ahmadzai told police he had taken Elisabeth's phone and bank cards. Ahmadzai converted to Christianity and married US-born Christian Alaina Hall in 2023 Ross had previously volunteered with the One Heart organisation when in Greece 'In addition to Lisa's cards, I also took her mobile phone. From that, I sent some messages to people close to her to reassure them that she was okay. ' 'I don't know what I was thinking. I wasn't thinking clearly. I gave all the money I took out of Lisa's cards to the old man because he was blackmailing me that he would tell everything to the police. 'As far as I know, this old man's name is Nikos, and he frequents the place where I left the suitcase.' Ahmadzai was brought to the Evelpidon court complex in Athens this morning in a car with blacked-out windows. He was surrounded by four armed police as he emerged from a silver car and was led handcuffed into court. Ahmadzai is due to appear before a Greek prosecutor on Thursday, where the charges will be formally put to him. In addition to 'intentional homicid', he has also been charged with robbery and weapons offences. He is expected to be remanded in custody and face trial within the next 18 months. Ahmadzai reached the island of Lesvos in 2016. He then converted to Christianity and married US-born Christian Alaina Hall in 2023 before they set up a ministry helping refugees in Athens. The couple knew Ross, who was also a Christian volunteer, through their work. They had a key to the flat she was staying in as it was owned by their organisation, Love Every Nation Athens, police sources told the Daily Mail. Ahmadzai's wife grew suspicious when it was announced Ross's body had been found. She left the family home with their baby and stayed in a hotel. Ahmadzai gave her the sum of 2,550 euros and a new Apple iPhone 17 Pro but she refused them. She handed them to police believing they were bought with Ross's money. Detectives raided the family home on August 1 and found a black metal replica Glock-style pistol and a black military-style knife, sources say. Police sources previously revealed that Ahmadzai - who had converted to Christianity - told his wife that he had argued with Ross because she wanted him to join her 'stricter' Christian group. He was arrested shortly after Ross's mobile phone - which had been off for days - was suddenly switched on earlier this week, with police immediately tracing it to a residence in Athens where he was staying. A police source revealed: 'The woman told us that her husband had confided in her that he was angry with the British woman. She was trying to influence him religiously, and it became too much for him.' Ross, who was from Edinburgh, had been a regular visitor to Greece over the past seven years, volunteering with NGOs helping refugees, homeless people and other vulnerable groups. She had previously volunteered with the One Heart organisation when in Greece, which specialises in providing medical support to refugees, particularly those from Afghanistan or Iran. She arrived in Athens on June 26 and had initially been staying with Greek friends in the Keratsini district, the country's main seaport close to the city. Police confirmed that she moved to Rethymnou Street in Athens city centre on July 2 and was volunteering with a Christian-based NGO working with refugees and other vulnerable groups. CCTV footage gathered by police showed the Afghan man arriving by car at Ross's ground-floor flat on the evening of July 16. At around 10pm, cameras captured him carrying the suitcase along the road on which the abandoned car park is located. Thirteen minutes later, he is seen walking away from the derelict site without the suitcase. The last confirmed sign of life from Ross was recorded at 9.41pm on July 15, when she called a close friend.