30 years of imprisonment for the murderer of TV presenter Viktoria Marinova

The Regional Court in Rousse on 22^nd of April sentenced Severin Krassimirov to 30 years of imprisonment for the rape and murder of television presenter Viktoria Marinova.

The verdict was reached after the court had taken the key decision to hear the case on the basis of the fast-track procedure because the 21-year-old Severin Krassimirov admitted himself guilty of all three charges. Thus he escaped the heaviest punishment - life imprisonment without the right to change. His official defence even demanded a shoreter sentence of 15 years in prison, motivated by Severin's co-operation with the investigation and that he had a slight mental retardation and no previous criminal records. Earlier today, Victoria Marinova's relatives demanded legislative changes so that perpetrators of serious crimes could not take advantage of the fast-track procedure.

They claimed 450,000 BGN compensation for the moral damages.

In his final speech to the court, Severin Krasimirov said he was very sorry for what he did and wanted to turn back time. He apologised to Victoria's parents and said he admitted his guilt. Victoria's father-in-law, Rumen Maximov, said her daughter was suffering painfully about her mother's loss and every day she relases balloons with the inscription: "Mom, I love you!"

The TV presenter Viktoria Marinova was murdered on 6th of October 2018. Her body was found near the tennis courts in the Danubian city of Rousse. The police identified the perpetrator within four days after the murder and he was detained in Germany.

The investigation went on for nearly half a year and found that Severin was the sole perpetrator and the murder was not linked to Viktoria’s profession.