A 42-year-old man is the second defendant in the case concerning the murder of 53-year-old Ilian Filipov in Plovdiv. According to supervising prosecutor Dimitar Molev of the Plovdiv District Prosecutor’s Office, he acted as an accomplice and deliberately facilitated the commission of the premeditated murder.
The man was charged on 11 November and has been detained for up to 72 hours. The prosecution is expected to file a request with the court for a permanent remand in custody.
He had been wanted by the authorities
The 42-year-old defendant had been declared wanted after he was not found at his registered address. According to Vasоil Kostadinov, director of the Plovdiv Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior, he had been hiding in different locations and was detained near his home, but not inside the residence itself.
Police said that the man has a criminal record and previous convictions. In 2009, he received an effective prison sentence, which he served. Vasil Kostadinov confirmed that the defendant had been part of the organized crime group “Monopola” and had been convicted of participating in it. The prosecutor also pointed to previous crimes involving drug distribution, racketeering and threats to commit murder.
The weapon is linked to the crime
The weapon which, according to the prosecution, was used to murder Ilian Filipov has also been found and examined by an expert.
“Based on the expert conclusion and the other evidence in the case, we can categorically link this weapon to the crime committed—that is, that the shot which killed Ilian Filipov was fired with it,” prosecutor Dimitar Molev said.According to him, the evidence provides grounds for a reasonable assumption of a connection between the weapon and the perpetrator. The prosecution did not provide details about the role of the second defendant and did not confirm whether he had provided the vehicle used by the perpetrator to flee.
The investigation continues
On 1 October, 51-year-old Slavcho Megerov was charged. According to the prosecution, he deliberately killed Ilian Filipov on 30 September.
So far, investigators have no information indicating the involvement of other individuals and are not searching for any other suspects. The second defendant is refusing to give evidence, while his wife has not been detained but has been questioned by police.
For aiding and abetting premeditated murder, the law provides for a sentence of 15 to 20 years’ imprisonment, life imprisonment or life imprisonment without parole. The prosecution уточнява that, at this stage, there is a reasonable assumption that both defendants were involved, while the investigation continues.