Squatters occupy Berkeley home of murdered UC professor, leaving orphaned twins without inheritance
Alleged squatters have taken over the Berkeley home of slain UC professor Przemyslaw Jeziorski, whose twin children stand to inherit the property. California tenant law is blocking swift eviction.
Squatters dig in at Berkeley home left to orphaned twins of slain professor
Alleged squatters have occupied the Berkeley, California home of a murdered University of California professor, while his brother raises the man's 11-year-old twin children and continues paying the mortgage, NY Post Metro reports.
Przemyslaw Jeziorski, a UC Berkeley professor, was shot and killed in Greece last July during a custody dispute. Authorities say the boyfriend of his ex-wife, Nadia Michelidaki, later confessed to the killing. Michelidaki subsequently died by suicide in a Greek prison in May.
Jeziorski's East Bay home — previously operated as an Airbnb rental — has since become the focus of a separate legal battle. Occupants have refused to vacate despite repeated eviction notices and ongoing court proceedings.
Court records show the occupants claim they signed a one-year lease with Michelidaki and paid $30,000 upfront. The family's attorney, Erinne Stratte, disputes that account, arguing that Michelidaki was already in custody at the time the lease was allegedly signed.
Berkeley police were first called to the property in December following reports of a break-in and possible squatting. Officers encountered a woman at the scene who maintained she held a valid lease. The phone number listed in court documents has since been disconnected, and NBC Bay Area reporters who visited the property received no response at the door.
The family also alleges that belongings from the home have been seen sold at yard sales, though those claims have not been independently verified.
California tenant law complicates removal
At the heart of the dispute is a provision of California law that, in many cases, treats long-term occupants as civil tenants rather than criminal trespassers once they have remained in a property for an extended period — often around 30 days. That classification shifts the matter out of the criminal system and into civil eviction court, a process that can take months and demand extensive legal steps.
Stratte said the structure leaves property owners locked in prolonged legal battles even when they believe a home has been taken unlawfully. "They are stealing from the two orphans," Jeziorski's brother, Lukasz Jeziorski, told NBC. "If you ask me what I think about them, I feel nothing good. I feel that they are very bad people."
Lukasz Jeziorski is currently raising the professor's twin children, who are expected to inherit the Berkeley property, while paying its mortgage.
Legislative response
The case has drawn attention to recent legislative efforts, including SB 1303, passed to accelerate the removal of unauthorized occupants in certain residential cases by streamlining parts of the eviction process. Law enforcement in some jurisdictions has also shown greater willingness to pursue criminal trespass charges when allegations involve break-ins, forced entry, or fraudulent leases — particularly when property owners move quickly before occupants can establish long-term residency claims.
Source: NY Post Metro