For the first time since the tragic event that shocked the public, Anastasia, the 18-year-old daughter of Pandeli and Marjola Nakoleci, has shared her story. In an emotional interview with Greek television channel MEGA, she recounted her pain and shock, asserting that both of her parents are to blame for what happened.
“Both of them are guilty to me. They left us on the street; they didn’t think about us at all. My mother had another intimate relationship, my father was jealous, and that’s why the fight happened. This man was talking to my mother; I think they had been together for a while. I don’t know, I can’t lie… He came into our lives and destroyed our whole family,” Anastasia said through tears.
She explained that just days before her mother’s murder, the family had been on vacation, and everything had appeared normal. However, the disputes between her parents had begun before the trip, when her father discovered messages on his wife’s phone.
“I had told them, ‘I don’t want you to fight, I want you to be together forever, to see your children.’ I never wanted this to happen. I never imagined it. We went on vacation, we had a great time, and then two days later, it happened suddenly. Before the trip, they argued—it started with a message. But it’s not only my father’s fault; my mother is also to blame. Both are guilty. Both made mistakes. My mother made mistakes, and my father made the mistake of killing a woman he loved so much, who had four children,” she said.
Anastasia emphasized that there had been no prior violence in the family and described her father as extremely jealous, but not violent.
“My dad never hit us, nor my mother. I have never seen my dad hit my mother in my life. He wasn’t violent. He was very jealous, which makes sense because my mother spoke with someone she shouldn’t have, because she was happy. They should have talked, separated properly. What can I say? I don’t know.”
She also recounted how she learned of her mother’s murder from her brother and her last conversation with her father, who was on the run after the incident.
“My brother called me and said, ‘Come quickly, it happened.’ I went and saw everything. He told me, ‘Dad killed mom.’ I still have those voices on my phone. While on the run, my dad told me, ‘I didn’t want to, I didn’t want to do this.’”
When asked if she would visit her father in prison, Anastasia did not give a definitive answer, noting that every day is filled with grief and the absence of both parents.
“I don’t know if I want to see him. I love him very much, but I wish my mom were there too. I miss my mom. I cry every day. I look at photos, and I still can’t believe it. I feel terrible, but I’m trying to get better. It’s very hard to live without both my mom and dad.”
The tragic event that led to the death of Marjola Nakoleci and the imprisonment of her husband, Pandeli Nakoleci, left behind four young children and deeply affected public opinion in both Albania and Greece. Today, 18-year-old Anastasia faces a painful reality, yet she bravely speaks her truth—a truth in which love, betrayal, grief, and regret are intertwined in the most tragic way possible.