The investigation into the murder of a 21-year-old man from the village of Nayden Gerovo, for which a retired police officer is accused, continues. According to the prosecutor's office, the crime was committed with an illegally possessed hunting rifle, and then an attempt was made to cover up the traces. The former police officer has been charged with two charges - for intentional murder and illegal possession of a weapon.
This was summarized by BNT.
The investigation is in its initial phase, with the definitive motive for the serious crime still to be established. The working versions are related to an old theft of money or possible self-defense.
The village of Nayden Gerovo said that the victim was known to the locals for numerous criminal acts. The mayor of the village Atanas Arabadzhiyski said that the people lived in tension due to cases of attacks on elderly residents.
„Regarding the victim, I can say - I said it yesterday too - that he was a person with many thefts, attacks on elderly people. The population constantly lived in some tension, harassment of the elderly“, said the mayor.
According to him, there were signals against the young man for attacks on elderly people in the village.
„We have several cases - an attack on elderly women in the village. He was just waiting for them to get a pension so they could have some money, and he would enter the houses of elderly, defenseless people and rob them.“
The mayor linked the 21-year-old's behavior to problems from his childhood and a lack of support in his family.
„I attribute this mostly to his childhood, to his very formation as a person. Because while his grandfather was alive at the time, he was very well. And at the moment when his grandfather died, there was no one to be close to him and his father was rather indifferent about his upbringing. And that's where things started.“
According to the mayor, the police reacted to the reports, but after the arrests, the young man was released again.
The mayor of the village also commented on the accusations as a perpetrator - former police officer Todor Lapkov. According to him, the locals had a good opinion of him. According to him, Lapkov helped the people of the village.
„I can only say good things about him... When the population needed sheep or lambs for Easter, for St. George's Day, he even slaughtered them. You can't say that he was an aggressive person.“