A young Bulgarian man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for raping and killing journalist Victoria Marinova last October, a court in the northern Bulgarian town of Ruse has reported. Severin Krasimirov, 21, was arrested in Germany, where he had escaped after his crime on October 6, 2018.
He confessed his act, thus escaping the shackles of life. The court also ordered him to pay 450.000 leva (approximately 225.000 euros) in compensation to the victim's family.
According to the prosecution, Krasimirov raped the journalist while he was under the influence of alcohol and then killed her. Marinova's murder was not related to her professional activity. Before the judges, the accused cried, stating that he was very sorry for this "youthful mistake". Ivan Doinov's lawyer said he would appeal, hoping his client's sentence would be halved, citing "mitigating circumstances" such as Krasimirov's confession and repentance.
Victoria Marinova, 30, was attacked while jogging near the Danube River. She was a presenter on a local Ruse TV channel and her death caused shock and many questions, after she had started a new show, promising to reveal serious corruption cases.
Authorities at the time accused the media of "fake news" because they linked the murder to the victim's professional activity. However, in their most recent report, Reporters Without Borders speaks of "the authorities' intention to stifle the case by quickly completing the investigation" into the murder.
- Source: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ / Φ.Γ.