Rape and ‘barbaric’ murder of television journalist Viktoria Marinova shocks Bulgaria
Police sources said that the crime did not immediately appear to be linked to her work
A television journalist has been raped and murdered in Bulgaria’s northern town of Ruse, prosecutors and a minister said, in a case that has shocked fellow journalists and sparked international condemnation.
The body of 30-year-old Viktoria Marinova was found on Saturday close to a jogging path by the Danube, Ruse prosecutor Georgy Georgiev said.
The death was caused by blows to the head and suffocation and most probably occurred in broad daylight, he added.
“Her mobile phone, car keys, glasses and part of her clothes were missing,” Georgiev said, adding that prosecutors were probing all leads - both personal and linked to Marinova’s job.
Interior Minister Mladen Marinov later confirmed to journalists that the victim had also been raped.
Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said a large amount of evidence had been collected adding that “it is just a matter of time before the perpetrator is found”.