The wife of an Afghan national accused of murdering a British charity worker and concealing her body in a suitcase has detailed her growing suspicions about her husband's involvement.

Alaina Hall, an American citizen, testified that she realized her friend Elisabeth Jane Ross, also known as Lisa, might be dead after news broke of a body found in a derelict building in Athens. Hall told police she woke up around 3 a.m. with a "terrible" feeling, recalling the discovered body was found near their home.

Her suspicions were further raised the following morning when she received two messages from Ross's phone that she felt were not in Ross's typical style, particularly in their English usage and the inclusion of emojis, which Ross did not usually employ. Hall's attempts to contact Ross directly were unsuccessful.

Hall also testified that she became suspicious of her husband, Sharif Ahmadzai, on the evening of July 15 when she awoke to find him missing. A check of his shared location indicated he was at Ross's flat. When confronted, Ahmadzai claimed he had been out watching a football match and only went to Ross's apartment to use the toilet. Hall described these and other behaviors as making her feel uncomfortable and prompting her to report her husband's suspicious actions to authorities on July 30.

Detectives later found CCTV footage that allegedly shows Ahmadzai transporting a suitcase from the apartment where Ross was staying and leaving it at the location where her remains were discovered on July 16.

Earlier this week, Ahmadzai told police in a statement that he did not kill Ross. He claimed he found her dead on her bathroom floor, panicked, and was then persuaded by an elderly man to move the body. According to Ahmadzai's account, the man, who he identified as Nikos and who frequents the area, advised him to remove the body to avoid trouble. Ahmadzai stated he returned to the apartment the following day, placed Ross's body in a black suitcase, and drove it to an abandoned building. He claims he left the suitcase with Nikos, who said he would handle it.

Ahmadzai also admitted to taking Ross's phone and bank cards, using the cards to withdraw money which he then gave to Nikos, claiming he was being blackmailed. He stated he used Ross's phone to send messages to her contacts to reassure them she was alright.

Ross, from Edinburgh, had been volunteering in Greece for seven years with NGOs assisting refugees and vulnerable groups. She had arrived in Athens on June 26 and was staying at a flat owned by the organization Love Every Nation Athens, where Ahmadzai and Hall were also involved. The couple had a key to Ross's flat.

Ahmadzai, who converted to Christianity and married Hall in 2023, faces charges including intentional homicide, robbery, and weapons offenses. He is expected to be remanded in custody and face trial within 18 months. Police also found a replica Glock-style pistol and a military-style knife at the couple's home. Authorities were alerted to Ahmadzai's potential involvement after his wife's testimony and when Ross's mobile phone, which had been inactive for days, was suddenly switched on and traced to his residence.