The 28-year-old man who brutally murdered American molecular biologist Suzanne Eaton in July 2019 on Crete was served a life sentence by a court in Rethymno, on the western part of the island, on Tuesday evening.

The seven-member court of three judges and four jury members found Ioannis Paraskakis from Tavronitis of Chania guilty. "A life sentence for murder, 13 years for rape and 4 months for possesion of arms," the court said, admitting no extenuating circumstances.

In the concluding testimony on the trial on the same day, Paraskakis claimed he hit Eaton with his car accidentally, put the still breathing woman in his trunk and threw her into a cave used as a shelter during World War II, trying to postpone his arrest.

Eaton, who was on Crete to attend a conference, was found nearly 10 km from her hotel. Evidence pointed to death from suffocation. Her murderer confessed in 2019, and police had released his identity for further witnesses to come forward.

Eaton's family lawyer Vasso Pantazi, as well as the state prosecutor, said that Eaton's death resembled "the worst thriller scenario possible" and said the American biologist, whose murder shocked Greece, was "the fourth in a row of women - as sworn testimonies revealed - to have been run over by the specific car of the specific person."

Paraskakis will be led back to the jail in Tripolis, where he was awaiting trial, to carry out his sentence.