site.btaLaw Enforcers Suspect Homicide, Suicide in Six Violent Deaths in Northwest

Senior police officials, prosecutors and experts on Monday said the principal leads they follow regarding six violent deaths are homicide succeeded by suicide or suicide only. At a news conference in Sofia, the law enforcers provided details on the progress of the investigation into the deaths that occurred between February 1 and 8 in Northwestern Bulgaria.

Three men were found shot dead in a privately owned lodge near the Petrohan Pass (Northwestern Bulgaria) a week ago. Three more men, who had also occupied the property, were discovered on Sunday in a camper van in the area of Okolchitsa Peak, Western Balkan Range. Their death, too, had been caused by shotgun wounds.

At the news conference, the journalists were shown video footage from cameras in front of the Petrohan lodge. Some of the deceased can be seen there talking, bidding each other farewell, and setting fire to part of the building.

Chief Commissioner Zahari Vaskov, Head of the National Police General Directorate: The individuals whose bodies with gunshot wounds were found in a camper van near Okolchitsa Peak are connected with the Petrohan case. The three men were wanted in connection with a triple murder in the lodge and had been reported missing. It appears that the gunfire occurred inside the vehicle, with no indications of shots fired from the outside. Weapons were also found at the scene.

Sofia District Prosecutor Hristina Lulcheva: Up till now, the National Institute of Forensic Science and the Clinic of Forensic Medicine with the Alexander University Hospital have been ordered to carry out 18 forensic expert examinations, and 15 witnesses, including minors and victims' friends and relatives, have been questioned. The experts will examine surveillance camera footage and records saved in mobile phones, computers, hard discs and memory cards. Fire experts will look into the fire that destroyed part of the hut. The individuals' movements will be tracked with the help of traffic data recovered under the Electronic Communications Act, and the court has been asked to authorize banking secrecy disclosure.

Sofia Deputy Appellate Prosecutor Natalia Nikolova: On the strength of the evidence taken so far, the leads that the investigators prioritize are homicide succeeded by suicide or suicide. Two pre-trial proceedings have been initiated in connection with the six violent deaths. The 15-year-old boy and 22-year-old man, who were found in the camper van in the area of Okolchitsa Peak, had also died of gunshot wounds to the head. A post-mortem of the third body found there, of a 51-year-old man, is being performed.

Assoc. Prof. Alexander Alexandrov, head of the Clinic of Forensic Medicine and Deontology with the Alexander University Hospital: The gunshot wounds to the head, of which all three found at the Petrohan Pass lodge had died, were apparently self-inflicted, either point-blank or at close range. The forensic medical expert reports will be presented to the investigators.  

National Institute of Forensic Science Director Kremena Ilieva: Four cartridge cases have been recovered, fired from the weapons found with the deceased near the Petrohan lodge. DNA traces detected on the firearms belong only to the deceased individuals, one of whom had two gunshot wounds. We have carried out 11 forensic examinations - comprehensive, ballistic, DNA, examinations of electrical devices, and others.

Angel Papalezov, Head of the Criminal Police Department at the National Police General Directorate: The bodies near Petrohan were found within 24 hours of the death, while the time of death of those found near the Okolchitsa Peak has yet to be determined. No illegal items or substances were discovered in the lodge.

Investigators established that the leader of the rangers’ organization owned property in the village of Bulgari, Burgas Region. From January 27 to 31, the three individuals who later traveled in the camper van had stayed there, carrying out construction and renovation work before heading back toward Sofia. This was confirmed by footage from the Road Infrastructure Agency cameras and witness testimony. Some cameras recorded footage on their own memory cards, which are currently being examined, while data from other cameras was destroyed by the fire at the lodge.

Chronologically, the first recording is from around 10 a.m. on February 1, showing the leader of the organization bidding farewell to the three individuals who were found dead in front of the lodge the following day. He then departed with others. The next recording, from 4:20 p.m. on the same day, shows the three individuals who remained at the lodge standing outside with a dog. One of them says it was an honour, and the others reply that it was an honour for them as well. The third recording, from 8:40 p.m. that evening, shows the three individuals setting the lodge on fire.

After the organization’s leader left the lodge on February 1, private camera footage showed him passing through the village of Barzia in Montana Region at 11:14 a.m., then being recorded at the exit of Varshets, later at the turnoff to the village of Stoyanovo, then in Beli Izvor, and subsequently entering Vratsa. At 12:41 p.m., he was recorded in the village of Chelopek, leaving Vratsa toward the Okolchitsa Peak.

Dozens of witnesses have been questioned in the case. A very close relative of one of the individuals who stayed at the lodge shared that over the past one to two months there had been signs of psychological instability within the organization related to its activities. The group had been struggling, facing problems with public authorities and sponsors, and no longer saw a reason to carry on. According to the testimony, they had discussed death as a way out.

[Answering a question from BTA about the organization's activities]: Its members protected wildlife in protected areas, assisted Border Police in forest patrols and search operations, and last year helped identify the perpetrator of a murder in the area. They had also supported the work of government institutions, he added. Regarding the group’s religious beliefs, symbols of Tibetan Buddhism were visible at the lodge. All individuals staying there were required to perform religious practices for several hours daily.

BTA correspondent Maya Tsenova contributed to this report from Vratsa.