The trial for the brutal murder of Eri Pehlivanian begins tomorrow in Veliko Tarnovo Shore News

With its verdict of May 19, 2023, the District Court – Ruse recognized the defendants Garabed A. V. and Mihail S. M. for guilty in that on January 11, 2022, in Ruse, jointly and severally kidnapped another – Eri Pehlivanyan from Ruse, as the act was committed by two persons, by a person who presents himself as a member of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and for a selfish purpose.

The two were also found guilty of the fact that on the same date in the city of Ruse, in complicity with each other, they took foreign movable property – cash in BGN and EUR, with a total value of 65,000 BGN from the possession of E.O.P., with the intention of illegally appropriating them, having used force for this and the amount taken is large. The defendants were also found guilty of the fact that on January 11 of this year in Ruse, in complicity among themselves, they killed Eranukhi Pehlivanian, and the murder was carried out in order to cover up other crimes.

The district magistrates in Ruse have grouped the punishments determined for each of the individual criminal acts of the defendants, as on the basis of Art. 24, in conjunction with Art. 39 par. 2 pr. 1 of the Criminal Code increased the grouped penalties by 5 years of imprisonment and sentenced Garabed A. V. to endure 25 years imprisonment at strict regime and confiscation of ½ of his property and Mikhail S. M. to endure 25 years imprisonment at strict regime and confiscation of ½ of the property.

The two defendants were sentenced to pay jointly and severally as compensation for the non-property damages they caused to the civil plaintiffs A.O.K. – BGN 100,000; B. L. P. – 250,000 BGN; R.B.P. – BGN 250,000, as well as the sums of BGN 301,885 to B.L.P. and BGN 10,627 to R.B.P. as compensation for the property damage caused to the civil plaintiffs.

The case in the Court of Appeal – Veliko Tarnovo was initiated on the basis of an appellate protest by OP-Ruse and appellate appeals by the two defendants and by the private prosecutors and civil plaintiffs.