The accused in the murder of 18-year-old Magdalena Ruseva from Haskovo threw away her clothes and sent messages to her phone to try to create an alibi for what happened. This was revealed by the supervising prosecutor from the Haskovo District Prosecutor's Office, Pavel Zhekov, quoted by bTV.
„He showed sufficient intelligence even in the early hours of the day to try to hide the body far from the place where he was staying, to hide the victim's phone, to throw away the weapon of the crime, which has not yet been found“, he said.
According to the prosecutor's office, these circumstances indicate that there is a real danger that the accused will hide or commit a crime.
17-year-old Ivan Kostov said that he strangled 18-year-old Magdalena with a string that he threw into a trash can.
At the moment, the weapon of the crime has not been found, the prosecutor said, adding that searches are being conducted at the dump.
“The motive for a crime is always the hardest to uncover. In many cases, it remains hidden, since we judge by its external manifestations. He says nothing. He explains how, but does not explain his internal motives and why he went to the end“, commented Prosecutor Zhekov and added that he did not hear the accused say that he regretted what happened.
The defense and the accused have stated that they want him to remain in custody because they fear for his life and his emotional state. According to them, there is a risk of encroachment given public sentiment.
According to the supervising prosecutor Pavel Zhekov, at this stage, permanent detention in custody is the most adequate measure.
According to him, even if the murder weapon is not found, it will not have much significance for the prosecution, since it has been proven that the girl was strangled.
The maximum sentence that the accused can receive is from 5 to 12 years of imprisonment, since he is a minor.
The mother of the 17-year-old was summoned to the courtroom, but she refused to attend the hearing.
The Haskovo District Prosecutor's Office also noted that there were no eyewitnesses to the murder.
“I was personally on this street, it is a narrow street, seemingly close to a busy boulevard, but I did not see people passing by it, nor were there any curious glances from terraces“, said Prosecutor Zhekov.