The prosecutor's office presented new information about the cases of “Petrohan“ and “Okolchitsa“, in which the bodies of a total of six people were found - five men and one minor boy.
“The investigation was conducted in two directions - for those killed near the “Petrohan“ hut and for those near “Okolchitsa“, but the two pre-trial proceedings were merged. The reason is that the main activity of the deceased was carried out in the area of the hut, and this will ensure speed and objectivity. 4 expert examinations of electronic devices, conducted by forensic experts, have been assigned. Their results do not change the conclusion about the absence of external persons at both accident sites. In relation to the reasons for the arrival of the three persons in the camper near Okolchitsa - in all three cases the cause was a gunshot wound to the head. In the case of the 15-year-old boy, an entrance wound was found in the left temporal region - after a shot from close range, in the case of Nikolay Zlatkov - a shot from close range in the frontal region, and in the case of Kalushev - from close range - in the oral cavity“, announced the deputy appellate prosecutor of the Appellate Prosecutor's Office - Sofia Natalia Nikolova.
According to her, witnesses continue to be questioned and expert examinations are being ordered. Including a triple forensic medical examination, in order to establish the statute of limitations for the deaths of the three. Nikolova indicated that the activities of the NACPZT are also being investigated. “Bank secrecy has been lifted for 44 accounts and information is awaited about the movement of funds on them, five individuals and legal entities are being checked. Officials have made donations to NGO. Not only money was donated, but also drones, 251,000 leva is the largest amount transferred to the account of one of the murdered - Ivaylo Ivanov“, the prosecutor added.
According to Nikolova, an inspection was carried out at the school of the 15-year-old boy killed near Okolchitsa, and a lack of control over the educational process was established. There were omissions and incorrectly prepared documents. An inspection of the General Directorate of the Police for additional information to establish whether there was evidence of a crime. The prosecutor specified that further inspections of the hut near Petrokhan are pending. A forensic psychiatric, psychological and sexological examination is pending.
Deputy Director of the General Directorate of the Police, Senior Commissioner Ivan Madzharov, announced that an additional inspection of Kalushev's camper was carried out, information was seized from the car's memory and security system. According to him, 29 more expert examinations have been ordered. “A total of 12 examinations of material evidence from the hut have been carried out. Witnesses have been questioned. The dogs died from carbon dioxide asphyxiation“, he summarized.
Madzharov revealed what the expert conclusions on the deaths of the three near Okolchitsa showed. “The 15-year-old boy and Nikolay Zlatkov died from a gunshot wound to the brain. The skull injuries were caused by pressure after a shot from a large-caliber pistol. The cause of Kalushev's death was also a gunshot wound to the brain, death occurred almost instantly and was inevitable“.
On February 2, a burnt-out building was discovered in the area of the “Petrohan“ hut in the Western Stara Planina Mountains. The bodies of three men were found in the yard around the hut, all with gunshot wounds, without visible traces of a struggle. Forensic scientists are working on the scene; the area remains cordoned off for investigation. This is being considered part of the complex case of “Petrohan – Okolchitsa“. Ivaylo Kalushev, who is connected to the murdered, was declared wanted along with two other people.
The hut is part of a property used by a group of people involved in nature conservation activities in this area, united in the NGO “National Agency for Control of Protected Areas“ (NAKZT).
On February 8, in an area near the Okolchitsa peak in the Vratsa Balkan, a high-altitude camper was discovered, in which the bodies of the three wanted people were found - Ivaylo Kalushev, Nikolay Zlatkov and a 15-year-old boy. They were found dead, and forensic scientists confirm that there was a shooting inside.
Days later, the results of the the autopsies of the bodies found in the camper near Okolchitsa. Based on their location and the presence of three shell casings and three projectiles, the experts assumed that it was a case of two murders and one suicide. Firearms were also found in the camper, which, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, were legally owned by one of the deceased.
Subsequently, the prosecutor's office presented additional data from the expert examinations of the bodies found near “Petrohan“. The expert examinations confirmed that the three men found in the hut died from gunshot wounds.
On February 18, Sofia Deputy Appellate Prosecutor Natalia Nikolova announced that the three men found dead in the hut near “Petrohan“ had committed suicide. The other three, whose bodies were found in a camper near Okolchitsa Peak, were murders followed by suicide.
In early March, the Ministry of Education and Science notified the prosecutor's office about the form of education of the 15-year-old boy, who was one of the victims near Okolchitsa. The investigation established that the student was enrolled in two forms of education at the same time - regular and independent.