Albanians Convicted of Murder Alongside Destination Club Executive

By: Destination Club News
Date: February 15, 2010

In what will hopefully be the last chapter in a brutal story on the fringe of the destination club industry, two Albanian laborers, Robert Baxhiji and Ylli Xhelo, have been found guilty of murder and today were jailed for life.

Nearly ten years ago, Thanos Papalexis, a businessman and property developer tortured and murdered Charalambos Christodoulides, a 55-year old gentleman who was living in a flat above a deserted warehouse. Papalexis attempted to remove Christodoulides so that he could sell the warehouse.

In September of last year, Papalexis was found guilty of the murder, but the jury was unable to reach verdicts for Baxhiji and Xhelo, his alleged henchmen at the crime. According to the pair of Albanians, Papalexis had killed Christodoulides and forced them at gunpoint to hide his body. The retrial for Baxhiji and Xhelo concluded on Friday where both were found guilty.

"I am sure that without your assistance, Thanos Papalexis would not have been able to commit the murder," said Judge Jeremy Roberts. Like Papalexis who was sentenced to life in prison, the henchmen will likely spend the rest of their life behind bars. Baxhiji was sentenced to at least 15 years in prison and Xhelo will serve a minimum of 17 years. Comparatively, Papalexis will spend a mandatory 20 years in prison based on British penal code.

"I hope this verdict goes some way to achieving justice for Charalambos and closure for his family," said Brent Hyatt, the investigating officer. "For nine years they suffered enormously knowing that no one had been held accountable for his murder. Despite their pain, they have patiently and wholeheartedly supported this investigation, behaving with great dignity throughout."

Following the murder, Papalexis would leave for Florida where he would help create two small destination clubs, Grand Legacy Club and Vita Luxury. Promising luxury mansions, private jets, and exotic autos to members, both clubs have been described as everything from smoke and mirror operations to ponzi schemes.

His time at Vita Luxury was used during the trial, where properties available to members were used to host sex parties and employees were offered breast augmentation surgery for good work. Painted as a "classic psychopath" throughout the trial, all of the evidence led Judge Roberts to call Papalexis an "amoral person."

While Papalexis may be the outlier, it demonstrates that not only the club concept, but the club executives, should be researched if you are considering joining a destination club. To receive a list of suggested due diligence questions and a background on the benefits and risks of membership, request a free copy of our Destination Club Guide.