Life imprisonment for man who tortured his girlfriend to death, cut off her ear, burned her with a cigarette

The Varna Court of Appeal confirmed a life sentence for the murder of a woman from the Shumen village of Chernoglavtsi, who had been in hiding for five days and was committed under conditions of domestic violence.

The verdict is of the Shumen District Court. With her, Abil A. was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Silvia S., with whom he lived on a family basis for three years.

In the reasons of the first instance court, it is recorded that Abil A. committed the crime in a particularly painful way for the victim, with particular cruelty and under the conditions of domestic violence.

The man lived with Silvia S., 14 years older than him, in the village of Chernoglavtsi. He often consumed alcohol in large quantities, after which he showed physical aggression towards the woman. She repeatedly left the family home and took shelter with relatives, but returned to the defendant after his promises that he would stop beating her.

The murder, which took place on December 7, 2022, was preceded by blows that Adil A. inflicted on Silvia S. in a public place and in front of a witness. After the two returned home, the man’s aggression escalated and he started beating her again.

He hit her on the head and body with his fists and feet, with a tongs for a fireplace, cut her ear, burned her body with a cigarette. At various intervals, Abil A. entered the room where the 69-year-old woman was lying. Although he noticed that her condition was deteriorating, he did not seek medical help.

The woman died beaten, in agony and alone, because after the beating, Adil A. locked the house with a chain and padlock as a sign that there were no people inside, left the village and hid.

Five days later, the woman’s lifeless body was discovered by the minor son of Adil A.

The man was detained after a search.

The woman’s autopsy found multiple multiple trauma injuries, including multiple broken ribs. Immediate cause of death was severe head injury.

The physical evidence seized, the conclusions of the appointed experts leave no room for doubt about the volume, intensity, means and stages of the violence and its authorship, writes the reasons of the Shumen District Court.

The defendant was completely sane, aware of the consequences of the multiple blows to the victim’s vital organs, changed the means by which he caused her pain and continued to mistreat her.

According to the documents in the case, Adil A. was aware of the deterioration of the condition of the woman he had beaten and nevertheless continued with the abuse and beating, “adding new torments and sufferings, including on her naked body. This sequence outlines his immediate desire to end her life.”

The court document also states that the murder was carried out in a particularly painful way for the victim and with particular cruelty, with the circumstances revealing rage, ferocity, vindictiveness, sadism and lack of compassion.

The defendant caused Sylvia’s death in the context of domestic violence. During their 3-year cohabitation, he systematically beat her and took the money from her pension to buy alcohol, OFFNews reported.

Prior to Sylvia S.’s murder, the defendant had been convicted twice, including for attempted murder.

The decision of the Varna appellate magistrates can be appealed to the Supreme Court.