The serial baby killer confesses: she killed her daughters, her sister and a girl in her care.

Irini Murtzuku, 25, has been arrested for the murder of four babies —including her two daughters and her sister—as well as the attempted murder of her ex-partner.

The events date back to February 2021, when a six-month-old baby in Murtzuku's care died. According to the forensic report, the child died of interstitial pneumonitis and an epileptic seizure. A year earlier, he attempted to suffocate his partner while she slept , but she managed to escape and report the incident. Between 2021 and 2023, Murtzuku murdered three more babies, including his own daughters: the first died a few days after birth, and the second when she was barely two months old.

The accused has confessed to four murders, although authorities believe she may have been involved in at least two more. In 2016, when she was still a minor, the son of another friend died while she was in her care, but she was not prosecuted due to her age and lack of evidence. Her involvement in the death of another child in August 2024 is currently being investigated.

After months of investigation, the police were able to link the accused to three of the four confessed crimes. During her arrest last Monday, the accused pleaded not guilty, claiming she was "possessed by demons" and had no memory of what had happened. However, on Wednesday morning, she confessed to the crime, stating that, after heated family arguments, she suffered episodes that "disconnected her mentally" and committed the crimes.

In addition to the murder of the three babies, he admitted to killing his eighteen-month-old sister in 2014, when he was only fourteen years old. A few months ago, he admitted on a television program that he had been marked with "that strange sound that (his sister) made before she died." His mother has admitted that Murtzuku used to place pillows over his sister's face as part of a supposed game.

Although all the children died while in Murtzuku's care, initial forensic reports attributed their deaths to pathological causes. However, further autopsies revealed the actual cause to be asphyxiation, ruling out underlying conditions. In the recent investigation, statements were taken from nearly 100 people and multiple medical examinations were conducted. Furthermore, the police focused their efforts on detecting a common pattern among the cases. In this regard, studying the defendant's relationship with her mother was crucial.

From October 2023 until just a few days ago, the defendant appeared on numerous television programs to defend her innocence. However, contradictions in her statements helped authorities shed light on the deaths of the babies.

One of the issues that has most shocked public opinion is that the accused attempted to suffocate her second daughter four times. The first attempt took place on September 14, 2023. According to the police report, it happened at night, when Murtzuku was home alone with her two-month-old daughter, María Federica, whose airway she blocked with her hands. However, she was interrupted by the arrival of her mother, who called emergency services.

On October 7, she attempted to suffocate her again in the room of the Patras Children's Hospital, where the child was recovering from a respiratory illness. This time, medical staff managed to intervene in time. On October 9 and 12, she attempted the same attempt at the same hospital, but was again arrested by medical staff. Finally, on October 17, in the same room, she ended the child's life by causing hypoxia due to asphyxiation.

Police are also investigating the August 2024 death of a 15-month-old baby named Panayotis, who was born in Mourtzoukou's care. The baby's death, coupled with a history of infant deaths linked to the defendant, set off alarm bells. A commission of experts was then established to investigate possible criminal conduct.

During the investigation, Panayotis's mother and several witnesses stated that the defendant had had a heated argument with her two days before the death, raising suspicions about a possible motive. Murtzuku, however, denies any involvement in the child's death.

The Murtzuku case, which bears similarities to that of Pispirigu—a mother recently sentenced to three life sentences for the murder of her three daughters, ages six months, three, and nine years old—has called into question the protocols for investigating child deaths.

In both cases, the murders occurred in the town of Patras. Three of the seven deaths were analyzed by the local forensic medical service, which concluded they were due to pathological causes. In Murtzuku's case, two of the homicides took place in the Patras children's hospital, while Pispirigu's eldest daughter, Georgina, also died in a medical center in the same town.

In both cases, the forensic experts committed serious errors and negligence. In the Pispirigu case, five forensic doctors were suspended due to errors and incomplete information in the expert reports.

Last April, the government announced new measures to prevent tragedies like the one in Pispirigu, such as the creation of reinforced protocols and expert committees specializing in child deaths.

This Thursday, by order of Justice Minister Yorgos Floridis, the Patras forensic medicine service, responsible for three of the reports related to the deaths of minors in the Murtzukou and Pispirigu cases, was temporarily suspended. According to Floridis, the goal is to restore the credibility of forensic medicine at a time when "society is shocked by the continuous revelations." The service will resume its functions after a reorganization and with the reinforcement of its scientific staff.