Suspect for Gruesome Sofia Murder Demands to Be Set Free

Bulgaria's Sofia City Court will consider on Monday the request made by the only suspect for a grisly murder that took place several months ago in the capital's downtown.

Plamen Trifonov, 34, was detained in July for the murder of 28-year-old Yana Krasteva whose body was discovered in the Borisova Gradina park in central Sofia on July 10, almost two days after she was bludgeoned and strangled to death.

The suspect is being held in custody based on circumstantial evidence.

Trifonov's hairs were found by investigators to be similar to those discovered at the crime scene. However, the hairs found at the crime scene have no roots.

Forensic evidence has been sent abroad for further testing, the dnevnik.bg news website reveals, citing sources from the Bulgarian Interior Ministry. The results are said to be expected within two months.

After the murder, several media falsely reported that the woman was a "hobo" and an "alcoholic," stirring outrage among her friends and acquaintances on Facebook. In a controversial statement, Bulgarian Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov said that the murder should "sober up" all young people in the country.