Vassilis Lymberis

Vassilis Lymberis (; 1945 – 25 August 1972) was a Greek mass murderer who killed his wife, his two children, and his mother-in-law, by burning down his family home in January 1972. Lymberis was executed for the crime via firing squad, and was the last person to be executed by Greece prior to the abolition of capital punishment.

Crime The 27-year-old Lymberis was sentenced to death, as he was found guilty by the Athens Court of Appeal (Criminal Court) on the charge of burning people alive. He murdered the following:

His estranged wife, Vasiliki Lymberis, 24 years old His mother-in-law, Antigoni Markou, 55 years old His daughter, Panagiota Lymberis, 2½ years old His son, George Lymberis, 1 year old

The incident occurred on the night of 4 January 1972, and the early hours of 5 January 1972, at the victims' house in Chalandri, while the perpetrator had three friends as accomplices in the crime. The mother-in-law and the children died instantly, but his wife survived until noon on 5 January and it was she who reported the incident from the hospital. The case was a matter of intense public interest at the time.

Aftermath The incident of the murder was transferred to the cinema the same year, as a film was made called, The Satanic Night, directed by Marios Retchila and produced by James Parrish. The role of Vassilis Lymberis was played by Yannis Katranis.