Nashua Man Convicted and Sentenced to 18 Years for 22-Year-Old Murder
Extensive Cooperation Between Greek, U.S., and New Hampshire Authorities in Greek Court Conviction
| FBI Boston May 10, 2013 |
New Hampshire Attorney General Michael A. Delaney, United States Attorney for the District of New Hampshire John P. Kacavas, Nashua Police Chief John J. Seusing, and FBI Supervisory Special Agent for New Hampshire Kieran L. Ramsey announced that Steven Kamberidis (age 45), who fled New Hampshire in 1991 to avoid sentencing for the murder of his 2-year-old stepson, James Chartier, has been convicted of the crime by a Greek Court and sentenced to 18 years’ imprisonment.
Kamberidis was apprehended in Greece by the Hellenic National Police in February 2013, following tireless efforts by New Hampshire authorities, the FBI, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire, Department of Justice, the U.S. Embassy in Athens, and the Department of State. The Athens Criminal Court subsequently affirmed his conviction for the murder of James Chartier and on April 29, 2013, and the court sentenced Kamberidis to 18 years’ imprisonment. Extensive collaboration between U.S. and Greek authorities in sharing the facts of the original investigation and the charging and court documents from New Hampshire was instrumental in Kamberidis’ conviction in the Athens Criminal Court.
After Kamberidis’ more than two decades on the run, his arrest and conviction in Greece underscore the tenacity of the New Hampshire law enforcement community to ensure that justice was served for James Chartier. We deeply appreciate the cooperation of the Greek authorities, in particular, the Greek Ministry of Citizens Protection, the Ministry of Justice, and the Hellenic National Police, in pursuing the case.
Case History
On November 19, 1989, Steven Kamberidis was arrested by members of the Nashua Police Department and charged with second-degree murder for the death of his stepson, James Chartier, age 2. Kamberidis was released on $50,000 bail with the conditions that he reside with his parents, that he be employed and that he report to the probation department monthly.
Kamberidis’ trial began on May 13, 1991, in Hillsborough County Superior Court, Manchester, New Hampshire. While the defendant appeared at trial that day, he failed to appear on May 14, 1991. The jury began its deliberation on May 14 and on the following day found the defendant guilty of second-degree murder for the death of James Chartier. On October 18, 1991, the court sentenced Kamberidis in absentia to the New Hampshire State Prison for 30 years to life.
After Kamberidis failed to appear at his trial, the court issued a warrant for his arrest. On May 16, a complaint charging Kamberidis with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution in a violation of Title 18, United States Code, §1073, was filed by the FBI, in cooperation with the Nashua Police Department, in the United States District Court, District of New Hampshire.