Ivelin Tsvetanov on trial for murder of police officer’s wife in Plovdiv

Ivelin Tsvetanov, a 23‑year‑old university student, has been charged with pre‑meditated murder with particular cruelty in the killing of Dimitrina Grozova, a 45‑year‑old woman who was the wife of police officer Zdravko Grozev. The crime occurred on the night of 18 August last year in the family home in the Pŭrvomay district of Plovdiv. Prosecutors say Tsvetanov entered the house, attacked Grozova with a knife, inflicting nine wounds, including a fatal neck injury, before fleeing the scene. Evidence presented includes DNA analysis, mobile‑phone location data, CCTV footage and a weapon bearing the victim’s blood. He was apprehended days later in a student dormitory in Sofia and has remained in pre‑trial detention, despite several unsuccessful attempts to have his detention status altered. The trial began today at the Plovdiv District Court, where the prosecution is seeking a sentence of 15–20 years imprisonment or life without parole.