Papalexis shocker: Mistress found dead!
Tags: Marie-Helene Jarry, mistress, Riviera Beach, Thanos Papalexis, vodka
| Monday 13 July 2009 1:34 pm
Papalexis in his office in 2007
Fallen Palm Beach businessman Thanos Papalexis, who’s being tried for murder in London, may have a second death on his conscience.
This one is the passing of his mistress.
She may have died of a broken heart, if you believe the woman’s ex-husband.
Authorities can’t positively identify a body found next to an empty vodka bottle in a townhouse in the Riviera Beach community of Turtle Cay. But Ron Purpura believes it’s his ex-wife, and Papalexis’ 42-year-old mistress, Marie-Helene Jarry.
“She was in love with Thanos and she believed in him,” said Purpura. “When Thanos was arrested (in November) and she found out he was a phony, she started drinking heavily. I believe her body just shut down from all the booze. She was inconsolable.”
The person in the townhouse may have died more than a month ago and wasn’t recognizable. The medical examiner is checking dental records for a positive identification.
But to Purpura, there’s little doubt it was the women from whom he divorced in 2001. The body was found in a home Jarry bought for $153,000 in 2003, and it’s also the home address on Jarry’s drivers license.
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Papalexis, 32, who was trying to build a fractional ownership club in Palm Beach over the past three years, weaseled his way into Palm Beach society on the pretense that he was the son of a rich Greek shipping tycoon. With millions in debts and lawsuits piling up, the nearly penniless Papalexis drove Bentleys and flew private jets. And he hosted former Prez Bill Clinton last year for a fundraiser of then-presidential wannabe Hillary Clinton.
Papalexis and Jarry were having lunch at Fire Rock Pizza downtown West Palm Beach Nov. 7 when U.S. Marshals swooped in on him. Within weeks, he was extradited to England for his alleged role in the 2000 murder of a sweet loner nicknamed Bambi who wouldn’t leave a London warehouse that Papalexis wanted to redevelop.
His trial at the famed Old Bailey courthouse is in its sixth week.
Last month, a Scotland Yard source told me, authorities in England unsuccessfully tried to locate Jarry to ask her to testify in the trial. Her death isn’t expected to affect the proceedings. Actually, she may have died shortly after the trial opened.
“I received a call from her parents in Quebec to ask me to check on her because they hadn’t heard from her in at least a month,” Purpura told Page2Live.
Even divorced, retired securities broker Purpura and Jarry remained tight friends.
“When I got there, I had that sick feeling in my stomach. I had her key, but I knew from the smell that something went wrong.”
Riviera cops kept Purpura from viewing the body which, they told him, partly decomposed on the bed. A cat that appeared to be healthy was found in the townhouse.
“I tried three times to get her into rehab,” Purpura said. “In January, she got really bad. When I was with her, she never drank. Now she was drinking vodka by the bottle and not eating. I have no doubt the alcohol killed her.”
He said there were no signs of force entry or foul play.
A police source who asked to remain anonymous confirmed that the death isn’t a homicide. The source said an empty bottle of vodka was found next to the body.
Purpura said Jarry met Papalexis when she worked in a store at The Breakers in Palm Beach. He then hired her and they became lovers – never mind that Papalexis was married and has a young son.
“Thanos was so devious that he had Marie-Helene pay for the rent of his wife’s house in Palm Beach Gardens,” Purpura said. “But she was in love. She believed in all the things he told her. She thought they were going to get married.”
When Jarry and Papalexis started dating, Purpura said, her credit was perfect. Within months, her credit cards were maxed out. And Jarry’s name popped up on the eviction case against Papalexis’ company, Vita.
“My ex-wife became extremely depressed both because Thanos was gone maybe for ever, and because she finally figured out his personae was totally bogus,” Purpura said. “The guy was a fraud and Marie-Helene was just a poor kid who got sucked into the glitz and glamour of the life he led.”
I would have done the same thing.Just look at him.
The neighbors didn’t smell anything????
It’s funny how you find lowlifes all the way up the social ladder. It’s like, even though they’re the “creme-de-la-creme,” they’re still bottom-feeding scum.
I’m referring to Papalexis, of course, but it’s not like his hangers-on were such wonderful folks, either.
Makes me happy to be one of the “little people.”
Jose, why do you keep referring to this guy as a “Palm Beach businessman”?????? Or a businessman in general.
This guy was a fraud. He was not a businessman, or a lawyer, or an heir to some great fortune. He was a conman. Why dont you start the story off, “Conman Thanos Papalexis”????
Hopefully he will get what he deserves in England.
He used to come to Spoto’s, at their old location next to Bradleys, every night. He acted like he was royalty and had people move their car for 2 Bentleys. I always hated this poser. The death of his girlfriend is tragic……but I remember her drinking heavily at the outside tables on a daily basis, and she could be pretty obnoxious then.
Rest in Peace
Darwinism!
I had drinks with her a number of times at Spotos when that clown Thanos was not around. She was nice but obviously ‘caught up’. I feel sorry for her. Too bad.
You’re kidding me….right> They are saying marie Helene JUST started drinking after the arrest of Thanos….lol
May he hang by his manhood.
I did construction work for this low life when he was setting up the Vita front.
From the first minute that we set foot in his office, it was obvious that he was one of the Florida frauds that was going to leave waste and devastation in his wake.
Not only did he rob the poor suckers that became “members” of his club, he caused untold heart ache and complications for the little people who worked for him and believed in the primrose path he led them down.
Luckily, we were able to confront him before it all crashed and we got paid for our efforts.
Don’t be lulled into thinking that he is a one-of-a-kind here in South Florida.
Trust me, there are others and that comes from the voice of experience.
I had the chance to spend a weekend with these two about two years ago. Although both were charming and I had a nice weekend, I am not all surprised of their demise. I can say that I feel bad them and I can say I feel even worse for the people who were deceived by Thanos and lost money, but at the same time…take it as a lesson learned. Like I said, I had a wonderful time with them, but they were honest and open about their relationship. I knew within hours of who I was dealing with. Marie-Helene did more than just pay his wife’s rent; she took care of almost all of his personal obligations. And it took me less than a weekend with them to realize this was not a guy I should probably work with. If he could have a wife and son, and deceive them, then he could deceive anyone, and that wasn’t a chance I couldn’t invest in. I am young, and I am not as wealthy, so I had to be cautious… I’m glad I was. Marie-Helene was a nice lady, despite her flaws, she was loyal. It’s too bad she was taken in by his B.S. and it’s too bad she is gone. I know they did bad things, and I’m not defending there actions. But they wore their name tags in bold letters on their chest. If some people failed to notice, well…then they failed. Learn from it. But don’t consume your life with anger. As you can see, everyone gets justice in the end. Thanos is locked up and Marie-Helene…? Just say a little prayer for his son, he never asked for any of this, but will have to grow up in the shadows his father’s mistakes.
She’s also my former girlfriend.
I’m completely at a loss for word but I can say the story is accurate (although I do not think Scotland Yard was trying to find her at least no prior to her death). I am the one who called the parents to enquire about her as I had had no emails for her for 3 weeks and she had not returned my calls. But I live far from her and could not go there.
She was an amazing woman and a sweet angel. He is the worst person in the world.
She’s a drunk, he’s a fraud !!!
I used to wait on him at Spoto’s. Generous tipper but pompuos. She was a pill popper and loved her Chardonay. She would insist we keep black linen especially for her and it was our duty to take it home amd launder it. I don’t like to speak ill of the deased but you reap what you so.
I can’t believe this…I just can’t. I should have done more and been a better friend.
I knew she wasn’t eating properly and drinking heavily. I tried several times to get her out of the house and just forget about what was going on in her life for awhile; even promising her not to talk about her precious “Tom”.
God, how she loved that man. I would talk with her on just getting on with her life and letting go of the past. But the more I think about it in retrospect…the past was what she was afraid of. She was afraid no one would love her for what she was, and what she was, and to me always be, one of the kindest and most gentle souls I have ever met.
One thing I know for sure…she was a beautiful woman inside and out and the saddest thing of all…she never knew it.
May you find love, my dearest “Mare”, I will love and miss you always, just the way you are.
Should add one interesting comment. Papalexis put 3000$ on Marie-Helene’s credit card to pay a car rental for his wife…. Without the consent of Marie-Helene or lesser still without telling his wife. How low can you get.
I dated MH for a long time and just found out today about this. I am heartbroken! She was a wonderful kind beautiful woman and he was a piece of s__t. Hope he spends the rest of his worthless life in prison.
I am very distraught about this I’ve been calling her and texting for weeks but her cell phone was shut off which I thought was odd.
She just couldn’t get over that piece of garbage she fell in love with.
So sad…
[...] witness, Marie-Helene Jarry, was found dead in her Riviera Beach apartment before she flew to London to testify. Jarry was the [...]
Sadly Papalexis was convicted in England. They simply don’t take murder seriously there. So Papalexis will most probably be released to reoffend in the next few years.
When a man who conspired to blow up a US airliner with the deaths of 270 innocent people is let out after 8 years even after protests from the President down, what hope is there for any deterrent sentence in the UK?
Eventually a UK politico or a judge will get killed and then they may take action. Until then the UK establishment doesn’t give a fig for the life of ordinary people.
Paul,
Not every convicted murderer in the UK is released after 8 years. Compassionate release is only accepted rarely - 23 times in Scotland in the last nine years.
Paul Clieu - UK society is not complacent when dealing with murder. All members of society are disgusted any actions of murder and therefore by the actions of Libya against the Pan-Am flight and also through their support of terrorism in the UK and across Europe by the IRA since the late 1960’s.
I think you’ll also find that much of the funds for this terrorism came from USA based pockets. Now who supports murder and doesn’t give a fig for human life?
Well, he got life in prison with no less than 20 years behind bars. Of course if I had my druthers, I’d have him hanged, but all right. To tell the truth I don’t have much sympathy for anyone involved since it appears that the guy was exceptionally evil and yet fairly transparent.
This lowlife was sentenced to life in prison with a recomendation he serves a minimum of twenty years.
I live in the UK and no of nobody who has been sentenced to a life sentence with recomendation serving less than that, except in really exceptional case where the prisoner is going to dir very shortly, this piece of s..t will serve everyday of the 20 years RIP
[...] A jury found Papalexis guilty Sept. 4, after a three-month trial that included a Palm Beach porn star as star witness and the alcohol poisoning death of another witness, Papalexis mistress Marie-Helene Jarry. [...]
Human nature at its worst. Pride, greed and lust when these three entered the heart of man and don’t know how to deal with it. They are victims of their own selfish desires… Man needs to be redeemed by submitting himself to the sovereign power of the infinite God of the Universe who designs the destiny of man…We cannot just charter our own purpose without being miserable..
There is more to life than just lustful and selfish desires.. As Rick Warren said..”Life is preparation for eternity…”Many people die unprepared to face God..
hi
i am a boy 28 year i wana licking a beautiful girl feet i wana her slave i ll worship her feet and her body
will u plz halp me for it
Was Marie-Helene born just north of Quebec city and does she have a younger sister…
This is an answer for Max, she was born at Loretteville, and yes, she has two younger sisters. I know cause I’m her cousin.