site.btaSuspects Charged in Murder of 18-Year-Old Boy in Vratsa

Suspects Charged in Murder of 18-Year-Old Boy  in Vratsa

Vratsa, Northwestern Bulgaria, January 14 (BTA) - Prosecutors have brought charges against two suspects in Tuesday's gruesome murder of an 18-year-old boy in Vratsa, which has triggered strong reactions and heated discussions in the social media and the press. The District Prosecution Office (DPO) said on Thursday it has charged the brothers Ivan (32) and Dessislav (36) Damyanov with inadvertently causing the death of Todor Yordanov after deliberately inflicting a light bodily injury on him.

The 18-year-old was beaten to death in the town centre in broad daylight after honking his car's horn at the two pedestrians who were crossing the street. The victim also hit his attackers with brass knuckles during the row.

On Wednesday, hundreds of Vratsa residents appalled by the murder gathered for a vigil outside the Regional Police Department and lit candles. Upon learning of the indictment, which suggested that the murder was caused "inadvertently" as a result of a light bodily injury, the crowd shouted "Murderers!" and demanded that the two brothers be brought out of the detention facility to face them. There was no clash with police.

The victim's family demanded the gravest possible penalty for the perpetrators: life imprisonment without commutation. After staying in front of the police department for more than an hour, the protesters walked to the crime scene to lay flowers and light candles. Interviewed by journalists, some of them, including family members, accused the police and the justice system of inaction and irrelevant conduct.

The two suspects are in 72-hour custody, but the prosecution will ask for them to be detained indefinitely. Eye-witnesses are being interviewed and a forensic examination has been ordered, the DPO said. Video recordings of the incident, made by passers-by, have been provided to the investigators.