"The extradition of the accused can be expected soon. The arrested man admitted to the court that he had a verbal argument with the victim on October 6, 2018. He was under the influence of alcohol and drugs and punched the woman in the face, at which point she fell down. He then picked her up and threw her in a bush but said he then left the scene," the superior regional court in Celle said in a statement.
The statement further noted that the 20-year-old suspect, who was detained on a European warrant on October 9, had stated during questioning "that he did not want to kill the victim and denied raping her."
While the murder was committed in the northern Bulgarian city of Ruse on October 6, Krasimirov is believed to have fled to Germany in order to avoid criminal charges in Bulgaria. He will soon face trial in Germany before being extradited to Bulgaria.
READ MORE: Bulgarian TV Host Who Reported Misuse of EU Funds Raped and Murdered
Krasimirov may face a life sentence for a murder committed with extreme atrocity, according to the Bulgarian prosecution.
Marinova, the 30-year-old administrative director and host of the regional broadcaster TVN, was raped and killed in the northern Bulgarian city of Ruse on October 6. According to Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjorn Jagland, this is the fourth murder of a journalist in a Council of Europe member state in 2018.
