Speaking to BNT, the Judge of the Detention Hearing for the Brutal Murder in Plovdiv: “I’ve seen many criminals, but this is the first time I’ve seen young people who want to hurt someone so badly”

We continue with more details surrounding the brutal killing in Plovdiv. In the village where one of the arrested boys lives, residents claim that he painted swastikas and Nazi symbols on the local bridge.

Teenagers Who Beat a Man to Death in Plovdiv Remain in Custody

Today, August 10, the judge who ruled on the teenagers’ detention measures explained that it was important for the public to understand the court’s reasoning. The Minister of Interior said that the Ministry of the Interior was monitoring social media for signs of aggression and threats.

The group accused of the brutal murder in Plovdiv likely emulated the actions of a Russian neo-Nazi movement. On social media, the young men posted photos and videos taken during the beating, in which they posed with the characteristic gesture and flag—symbols of the Russian organisation.

"It Wasn't Just an Assault - It Was Also a Humiliation of the Victim": Teenagers Between the Ages of 14 and 17 Beat a Man to Death in Plovdiv

In the village where one of the arrested boys lives, residents claim that he painted swastikas and Nazi symbols on the local bridge. Today, the judge who ruled on the teenagers’ detention measures explained that it was important for the public to understand the court’s reasoning.

New details continue to emerge in the case of the brutal killing of 37-year-old Georgi Kuzev from the town of Krichim.

Judge Petko Minev told BNT today that the group of teenagers also bought a bottle of vodka after stealing money from the man they had beaten. It also emerged that during the beating, which lasted more than an hour, one of the teenagers used a baton to hit Georgi Kuzev.

Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev called on all institutions to carry out their functions adequately in order to prevent similar cases. He also appealed to parents and the education system to pay attention to children, saying that such aggression was unacceptable.

Judge Petko Minev, who ordered that the five teenagers remain in custody, told BNT that in his 20-year career as a magistrate he had never seen anything like it and had been stunned by the brutality.

In the village of Stroyevo, neighbours of the boy identified as the main perpetrator of the beating of 37-year-old Georgi Kuzev described his parents and older brother as kind and polite people.

However, Ralitsa Konzurova has forbidden her son from associating with the detained boy.

– How would you describe the boy?

Ralitsa Konzurova, neighbour: “Confrontational. I told him not to associate with him because I am afraid. I think the company he keeps has an influence on him, and now we can see where his actions are leading.”

Atanas Plachkov, neighbour: “I used to go out with him. They scratch railings and cars, let tyres down. He drinks a lot.”

Following the appearance on social media of photographs and videos featuring neo-Nazi symbols, Minister of Interior, Ivan Demerdzhiev, said that other people with similar profiles had already been identified.

Ivan Demerdzhiev, Minister of the Interior: “We have now also involved the Directorate General for Combating Organised Crime, through its Cybercrime Directorate, to monitor similar activity and similar documentation of any form of aggression or threats on social media, so that something like this does not happen again.”

Vasil Kostadinov, Director of the Plovdiv Regional Directorate of the Ministry of the Interior: “At present, five charges have been brought. This does not mean that at a later stage, based on the evidence collected, another person from the group of 10 may not also be charged.”

The five detainees can appeal their detention measures before the Court of Appeal on Thursday.

Before then, residents of Krichim are organising a protest outside the courthouse.