The Supreme Court of Cassation is considering today the case of the murder of Evgeniya Vladimirova, in which Orlin Vladimirov received 20 years in prison at the second instance, and his father Plamen Vladimirov was acquitted. The hearing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m., according to the court calendar.
The case was initiated upon a cassation protest and upon appeals by the defense of Orlin Vladimirov, the private prosecutors and civil plaintiffs, as well as the special representative of Martin Vladimirov. The dispute before the supreme judges is about the decision of the Sofia Court of Appeal of February 16, 2026.
What has been decided so far
There are already several court acts on the case. With a verdict of October 20, 2023, the Sofia City Court found Orlin Vladimirov and Plamen Vladimirov guilty and sentenced them to life imprisonment under an initial special regime. At a later stage, the Sofia Court of Appeal confirmed the verdict, but the Supreme Court of Cassation found significant procedural violations and returned the case for a new hearing.
In the second appeal proceedings, the panel of the Sofia Court of Appeal changed the outcome of the case. Plamen Vladimirov was acquitted, and Orlin Vladimirov's sentence was reduced to 20 years in prison. This is exactly the decision that is now being challenged before the Supreme Court of Cassation.
What is claimed in the cassation appeal
The cassation appeals of Orlin Vladimirov's defense demand the annulment of the appeal decision, a new hearing or a lighter sentence. The private prosecutors and civil plaintiffs want the opposite - that Plamen Vladimirov be convicted, and the sentence for Orlin Vladimirov be increased to life imprisonment without parole.
The court documents state that the murder was committed in 2021, and the victim was found in a suitcase. The Supreme Court of Cassation describes the act as a murder committed with particular cruelty and in a particularly torturous manner.
Protest in front of the Courthouse
A day before the hearing, relatives and friends of Evgeniya Vladimirova gathered in protest in front of the Courthouse in Sofia. They demanded that the Supreme Court return the case for reconsideration and seek more severe liability.
Evgeniya Vladimirova was murdered in 2021. The investigation found that she was strangled in her home in Sofia, and then the body was moved and dumped near Pernik. In the case, the court accepted that Orlin Vladimirov's father also participated in covering up the evidence.
Today's hearing is the second cassation proceedings in the case. The Supreme Court's decision will show whether the case will remain with the 20-year sentence for Orlin Vladimirov and the acquittal of Plamen Vladimirov, or will be returned for a new hearing.
Sources: Supreme Court of Cassation, Bulgarian National Television