The Plovdiv District Court has ordered former police officer Todor Lapkov to remain in custody over the alleged killing of a 21-year-old man in the town of Saedinenie. Prosecutors accuse Lapkov of shooting the young man with an illegally held hunting rifle before dismembering his body and concealing it in sacks near his farm.
Lapkov himself requested to remain in detention, telling the court that he feared retaliation and possible attacks on his farm. The court's decision came amid evidence gathered by investigators and a confession by the former officer.
His lawyers, however, maintain that Lapkov acted in unavoidable self-defense. They say he was attacked at night by the young man during what they described as another attempted robbery.
The victim was identified as 21-year-old Mitko Dimitrov from the village of Nayden Gerovo. He had been missing for almost a week before police discovered his dismembered remains in bags hidden in a shaft near Lapkov's farm outside Saedinenie.
Investigators say Lapkov and Dimitrov knew each other and had previously maintained friendly relations. The young man had frequently helped at the farm, but the former officer also allegedly became the target of repeated thefts. The precise circumstances of their final encounter remain under investigation.
