Police in Plovdiv have detained a second suspect in connection with the murder of 53-year-old businessman Iliyan Filipov. The man is 42 years old, from Pazardzhik, and has been detained for up to 72 hours, bTV reported.
The murder was committed in the early hours of September 30 in a residential building in the “Hristo Smirnenski” district. The victim was shot in front of the elevator after a woman close to him called him because of a suspicious masked man in the entrance.
There is now also a defendant in the case
Hours after the crime, 51-year-old Slavcho Megerov, a former employee of the businessman, was detained in Sofia. On October 1, the prosecution charged him with premeditated murder.
According to the charges, the motive was related to unsettled financial matters. Various witness statements mention amounts ranging from 15,000 to 20,000 leva, as well as considerably larger sums provided for betting on sporting events. According to the testimony, once the result was known, the defendant was supposed to pay out the winnings.
Megerov appealed his detention, but the Court of Appeals upheld the most severe measure of restraint – “remand in custody”. According to the magistrates, there is a risk that the defendant may abscond or commit another crime.
Cameras Captured the Suspected Perpetrator’s Movements
Investigators tracked a vehicle and its route to the residential building using security footage. The cameras also captured the arrival of a female witness, as well as the movements of the man believed to have committed the murder.
Shortly after 1 a.m., the victim’s car stopped in front of the building. After the businessman got out and headed toward the entrance, the man who had been waiting nearby also went inside. Minutes later, the same person was captured fleeing the building.