The brutal murder of 37-year-old Georgi Kuzev from Krichim, committed on August 4, 2026 on Youth Hill in Plovdiv, shook the public with unheard-of aggression and cynicism.
For more than an hour, a group of minors subjected the victim to systematic torture, beatings and beatings, filming their actions with mobile phones. By the early hours of August 9, 2026, the Plovdiv District Court had already imposed the most severe measure of detention “detention in custody“ for the five main perpetrators, while the investigation unravels the details of the “punitive action“ organized in social networks.
Details of the commission of the crime
The investigation by the District Prosecutor's Office - Plovdiv and the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (ODMVR) found that Georgi Kuzev was deliberately lured to a meeting through an internet profile. On the social network Facebook, a 17-year-old girl presented herself as a 15-year-old. The young people acted with a preconceived idea of self-harm, imitating radical internet groups for “pedophile hunters“. According to official police data, however, there is no evidence that the victim had such tendencies, and the residents of Krichim describe the man as an extremely modest, hardworking and calm person.
The attack was carried out in a particularly torturous manner on the hill itself. For more than an hour, the five teenagers inflicted cruel kicks and punches on the man's head and torso. According to the forensic examination, the victim suffered lacerations to his lung, liver and kidneys, combined with severe craniocerebral trauma. The court's reasoning revealed ominous details: during the beating, the minors groped the man, shaved his eyebrows, extinguished cigarette butts on his body and drew swastikas. After robbing him of his 30 (or 39) euros, the minors went to buy doner kebabs.
The beaten man managed to get down to the foot of the hill on his own, where he was later found helpless by a passerby. He was taken to hospital, but died a few hours later from his serious injuries.
Suspects and charges filed
Initially, law enforcement authorities detained a total of 10 youths aged between 14 and 17 who were present at the scene. After analyzing the seized mobile phones and the discovered video recordings of the beating, the prosecutor's office brought five of them as defendants – three boys and two girls who were most actively involved in the violence.
- Profile of the perpetrators: Investigators indicate that the children are from middle-class families, with most of them studying in elite schools in Plovdiv. The exception is the 17-year-old girl who was in charge of communication, who is from Stara Zagora and does not study anywhere. The leading role in the cruelty was played by a 15-year-old youth from the village of Stroevo.
- Radical influence: The director of the ODMVR – Plovdiv confirmed that some of the minors profess a radical right-wing philosophy and identify with the skinhead subculture and neo-Nazism.
- Legal charges: A charge has been filed for intentional murder in complicity, committed with hooliganism, sexual motives and in a particularly torturous manner. Due to the minor age of the perpetrators, the law provides for a reduction in penalties: from 5 to 12 years in prison for those over 16 years of age and from 3 to 10 years in prison for those under 16 years of age.
What's next in the investigation
Although the District Court has remanded the five defendants in custody, the ruling is not final. Defense attorneys have already announced that they will appeal the detention orders, arguing that the children's actions were impulsive and they show deep remorse.
The next court hearing is scheduled for August 13, 2026 (Thursday) before the Court of Appeal in Plovdiv, which must make a final decision on their detention measures. In the meantime, the prosecution continues the search and interrogation of the remaining witnesses and participants in the group, in order to establish whether the other five initially detained young people, who "only filmed and watched", will be charged with complicity or concealment of a serious crime. The relatives of the deceased Georgi Kuzev and the public are demanding maximum sentences and a review of parental responsibility.