Balgarianovinite.com A total of 10 teenagers aged between 14 and 17 have been detained in connection with the killing of a 37-year-old man on Youth Hill in Plovdiv, representatives of the Plovdiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office and the Plovdiv Regional Directorate of the Interior Ministry said at a joint briefing on Thursday. Charges will be brought against five of the teenagers – three boys and two girls. Investigators said the teenagers had imitated so-called “paedophile hunter” groups. The briefing was attended by Deputy Regional Prosecutor Anna Vikova, Regional Police Director Vasil Kostadinov, and prosecutor Aneliya Trifonova. The assault on the victim was filmed, they said.
The killing occurred on August 4. At around 5:20 p.m., the victim was found at the foot of Youth Hill in a helpless condition with visible signs of severe violence. He was taken to hospital, where he died several hours later. The Municipality of Krichim (near Plovdiv) later confirmed that the victim was a resident of the town. After the assault, the group left the scene, while the injured man managed to make his way down to the foot of the hill on his own.
Trifonova said the crime had been committed in a particularly cruel manner, motivated by hooliganism and sexual motives. According to the investigation, the meeting had been arranged through social media between the victim and a girl posing as a 15-year-old, who was in fact 17. The victim sustained extremely severe injuries, including ruptures of the lungs, liver and kidneys, as well as traumatic brain injuries. Prosecutors will seek permanent pre-trial detention for the five suspects who are to be charged.
Kostadinov said the teenagers, imitating online “paedophile hunter” groups, had deliberately lured the victim to a meeting, not with the intention of detaining him, but of taking the law into their own hands through violence. Two of the detained minors had previously come to the attention of the authorities, he added. He described the group as coming from ordinary social backgrounds, with several attending well-regarded schools. The 17-year-old girl involved is not from Plovdiv Region and is not currently in education, he said. Kostadinov argued that legislative changes were needed to reduce the conditions and opportunities that foster such behaviour among young people.
Vikova said investigators had taken immediate action after receiving the report in order to establish all the circumstances surrounding the case and identify those responsible for what she described as a grave and brutal crime. She said that, following the reduced penalties applicable to juvenile offenders, Bulgarian law provides for prison sentences of between five and 12 years for suspects aged 16 and over, while those under 16 face sentences ranging from three to 10 years, or up to five years, depending on the circumstances. Two of the suspects are under 16, while the remaining three are older. Vikova stressed that only limited information was being made public because the investigation was still at an early stage, adding that all relevant institutions were working intensively on the case. Five Teenagers to Face Murder Charges in Fatal Assault in Plovdiv 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-08-06 13:14:17 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law