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Developer Jailed For 'Reservoir Dogs' Murder
9:50pm UK, Wednesday September 30, 2009

A millionaire playboy who once hosted Bill and Hillary Clinton at a fundraising party is starting a 20-year jail sentence for a 'Reservoir Dogs' murder.

Thanos Papalexis, 37, killed Charalambos Christodoulides, 55, because he stood in the way of a lucrative property deal that would relieve some of his huge debts.

He was tied to a chair, tortured and strangled before his body was covered in paint stripper and dumped by Papalexis in a garage inspection pit at a derelict warehouse in Kensal Green, north west London.

Papalexis then fled to Florida and started a new property empire.

He also set about ingratiating himself with the political elite, holding fundraisers for the Democratic Party at a rented £2.1m Palm Beach mansion.

The sex addict also hosted orgies at top hotels and starred in homemade porn films.

He later confessed to a call girl who had become his lover. Following his arrest she flew to Britain to give evidence against him.

Papalexis was convicted of murder after a three-month trial at the Old Bailey that ended earlier this month.

He has now been given a life sentence and ordered to serve a minimum of 20 years.

The victim's sister and brother-in-law, Annina and Michael Lanitis, were in court to see him sentenced.

Mr Christodoulides, who was known to his family as 'Bambi', was a loner who lived in a self-contained flat inside a warehouse which Papalexis wanted to redevelop into flats.

He was part way through a similar development in London but had run up debts of more than £5m, despite a £1m injection from his wealthy father.

Papalexis mistakenly believed sitting tenant Mr Christodoulides was holding up a deal and was so desperate for the transaction to go through he believed his only option was to kill him.

Prosecutor Jonathan Laidlaw QC said: "It appeared that the victim was condemned to die for no better reason than he was not prepared to leave his home."

Mr Christodoulides was last seen at a bookmakers on March 9 in 2000.

It was alleged Papalexis enlisted the help of two failed Albanians asylum seekers who worked for him on his building sites.

The attack started by a boat kept in the garage area, before Mr Christodoulides was dragged to an upstairs dining room where the torture continued.

It appeared that the victim was condemned to die for no better reason than he was not prepared to leave his home.

Prosecutor Jonathan Laidlaw QC

He was beaten and strangled, before his body was doused in paint stripper, wrapped in a bedsheet and dumped in the vehicle inspection pit.

Papalexis returned later to dispose of the body and remove all traces of the killing.

However, the developer left his fingerprint on tape stained with the victim's blood and cigarette butts bearing his DNA was also found at the warehouse.

Within days Mr Christodoulides - who spoke daily to his sister - was reported missing and despite a brief search of the premises the body was not found until March 25.

Victim Mr Christodoulides

Detective Inspector Brent Hyatt, who led the investigation, described Papalexis - who in court denied any knowledge of the death - as a 'Walter Mitty' character.

"Thanos Papalexis is a man who had absolutely every advantage in life, but has proven to be outrageously devious, dishonest and callous," he said.

"A man that was entirely driven by selfishness and greed to an extent that I have never seen before."

Failed Albanian asylum seekers Ylli Xhelo, 35, and Robert Baxhija, 28, now face a retrial after the jury failed to reach verdicts in their cases.