Elira had been taking care of her sick uncle Leka for months, using his meager pension as their only source of income. She was devastated when she discovered him dead in his wheelchair one morning, but terror soon followed. They had nothing left over when his pension check was due that day.
Desperate, she dressed Leka, wheeled him to the ATM, and took out the cash using his card and PIN. When onlookers saw that Leka was too motionless, they phoned the police.
Elira was immediately taken into custody. Although she was branded a criminal by the media, the facts revealed a more complex picture of a woman who was driven beyond her breaking point by hunger, love, and fear rather than greed.