ATHENS — The inquest on the brutal murder of American biologist Suzanne Eaton in July 2019 on Crete is now officially concluded and the young man who admitted to killing her will be standing trial, the Greek lawyers representing Eaton's realtives said on Thursday.

In their statement, the family's lawyers Vasso Pantazi and George Tzeriz said that "the husband, her two boys, the mother and siblings of the late biologist Suzanne Eaton, who was murdered and raped in a brutal and inhumane manner last summer, have entrusted us with defending her memory and supporting the charges against the man, who, beyond any human instinct, deprived her of the opportunity to live, plunging her family and relatives into immense sorrow."

They also said that the family of the deceased has absolute confidence in the Greek justice system and has expressed satisfaction with the result of the man's cross-examination, "which has just been completed and which did not leave a single stone unturned in this brutal homicide."

Contrary to some reports, said the lawyers, the killer – a local resident aged 27 – did not, at any point during his cross-examination, revoke his confessions, or apologize for his crime before the prosecutor. Additionally, no active psychopathology was detected by psychiatrists during his psychololgical evaluation. The doctors who examined him "determined he was entirely aware of the inhumane actions he perpetrated" and "were astounded by his apathy, coldness and cynicism," the two lawyers said.

The statement added that "several local women in Crete bravely came forward to testify at police and the court" that the perpetrator consistently staged fake car accidents to immobilize women and attack them sexually.

The family will be present in court to testify and "help a fair decision be reached in her memory," said Eaton's relatives via their lawyers, and they also "express their gratitude to the all the Greeks for the hundreds of messages of support they have received."

Eaton was on the island to participate in a scientific conference at the Orthodox Academy of Crete and was reported missing on July 2, 2019 after she said she was going running. Her body sparked an intense search and was finally located five days later buried in rubble in an abandoned WWII bunker and cave in the Maleme area of Chania, in western Crete.

Pantelis Zellios, a Maleme resident, admitted to running Eaton down by car, then raping and strangling her in an apparent random act.