Squatters Battle Family For Slain UC Berkeley Professor's Home: Report

BERKELEY, CA — Nearly a year after a UC Berkeley professor was gunned down in Greece, his family says they now faces another painful fight — trying to regain control of the Berkeley home they say rightfully belongs to his orphaned children.

The family of slain University of California, Berkeley professor Przemyslaw Jeziorski says alleged squatters have occupied his Berkeley home for months, forcing relatives into a lengthy legal battle while they continue paying the mortgage on the property, NBC Bay Area reported.

Jeziorski was shot and killed in Greece in July 2025 during a custody dispute. Greek authorities said the boyfriend of his ex-wife, Nadia Michelidaki, later confessed to the killing. Michelidaki died by suicide in a Greek prison in May.

The home, which the family previously rented as an Airbnb, is now occupied by people who claim they signed a one-year lease with Michelidaki and paid $30,000 upfront, according to court records, NBC Bay Area reported.

But the family's attorney, Erinne Stratte, said that claim cannot be true because Michelidaki was already incarcerated when the alleged lease was signed, NBC Bay Area reported.

"The homeowner just has to let the squatters stay, and based on their criminal background and the inconsistencies in their statements, it's clear that they are not telling the truth," Stratte said.

Berkeley police responded to the home in December after finding signs of a possible break-in and suspected squatting. A woman later returned to the property claiming she held a one-year lease.

Stratte said the occupants have never produced proof of the lease or the alleged payment, and police reports contain conflicting accounts about when they moved into the house.

Despite receiving eviction notices, the occupants remain in the home while the case moves through California's civil eviction process.

"If they are making an allegation, they gave money to someone, and then the law is requiring us to indemnify or prevent the squatters from harm in case someone else took advantage of them, which I see as a flaw in the law," Stratte said, according to NBC Bay Area.

Reporters said they visited the home but received no response after knocking on the door. The phone number listed in court records has been disconnected.

The family also alleges the occupants have been selling furniture and other belongings from inside the home. Neighbors told NBC Bay Area they have seen items being sold during yard sales.

Attorneys said the eviction case could take several more months to resolve.

Meanwhile, Jeziorski's brother, Lukasz Jeziorski, is raising the professor's 11-year-old twins while continuing to make mortgage payments on the home the children are expected to inherit.

"They are stealing from the two orphans," Lukasz Jeziorski told NBC Bay Area. "If you ask me what I think about them, I feel nothing good. I feel that they are very bad people."

Related: Ex-Wife Charged With Soliciting Boyfriend To Murder UC Berkeley Professor In Greece: Reports