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Styllou Christofi — The Mother-in-Law from Hell
Convicted for her daughter-in-law, Hella’s murder in 1954
In 1954, a man was walking his dog when he smelled something burning.
He walked past his neighbor’s mother-in-law burning something that looked like a mannequin. He knew the woman. Her name was Styllou and was living with his neighbors, Stavros and Hella.
The man let Styllou about her business and walked inside, closing the door behind him.
It would only be later that he’d found out that what Styllou was burning wasn’t a mannequin, but her daughter-in-law’s body.
Early Life
Styllou was born in Cyprus, Greece in 1904 to a peasant household. While the rest of the world was forging forward in the Industrial Revolution, Styllou and her family lived a simple life. However, there were complex family dynamics.
Maria Goula-Christophi was Styllou’s mother-in-law. In 1911, she murdered her husband to be with her lover. After this, the Christophi family allegedly got together, deciding to “get rid of” the dishonor in their family.
Styllou was allegedly the one who murdered Maria, but she was acquitted. However, the reason why is complex.
