Chapter 14
The Shadow of "Killers 2": Fear and Despair in the Souls of People
In 2013, the "Killers 2" case was not just news, but a constant, chilling whisper that echoed in people's homes. It seeped from television screens, newspaper pages, and radio receivers, fueled by the statements of Borislav Sarafov, Daniela Popova, Svetlozar Lazarov, and Emil Galiponov. Their words, often sharp and uncompromising, were a knife that slashed the peace of society. Yes, fear was being created, a deep one, penetrating the souls, minds, and hearts of the people.
Every new detail, every new accusation, every revelation about the brutality of the gang described by those in power lodged itself in the mind of the ordinary person. The analogy was inevitable and terrifying: "What if I am next?" People did not just watch the case; they lived through it. It was not hard to imagine how anyone could find themselves in the shoes of the accused – not as a killer, but as a victim of this very system that was now loudly and ostentatiously dispensing justice. The fear multiplied, fueled by a sense of helplessness.
In homes, in cafes, even on the streets, the conversations were the same. Ivan, Tsetsko, Svetoslava, Ivanka, and Petranka were just a small part of the voices carrying out this depressed dialogue.
"Personally, I am afraid," Ivan whispered as he drank his coffee, his eyes wandering across the newspaper headline. "You can't be sure of anything anymore."
Tsetsko nodded slowly. "You're right. We discuss it constantly. I wonder, could any of us get tangled up in something like this? To be judged by the media, to have your life ruined, even if you are innocent..."
Svetoslava joined in, her voice trembling. "That is exactly what is scary! This publicity, this public shaming. It's like being innocent but already condemned by the people. How easy it is to be framed, to be turned into a villain in front of everyone's eyes."
Ivanka, more pragmatic, added: "I call my friends. We all complain. We feel defenseless. It's as if there is a big machine that can crush anyone. And no one knows how to protect themselves from it."
Petranka, always the most sensitive, could barely hold back her tears. "Fear is settling into our souls. Every day. And I think to myself – if I were in their place, if I were just involved in some ridiculous way, what would happen to me? To my family?"
These conversations were not just empty talk. They were the expression of a deeply rooted fear that the media campaign on the "Killers 2" case had managed to sow. People understood that the line between "them" (the criminals) and "us" (ordinary citizens) could turn out to be alarmingly thin, especially when the media and the authorities unite in a show trial. The fear was not of the killers themselves, but of the system that pursued them – a system that could turn anyone into an object of public condemnation and destruction.
92m
Behind the Scenes: The Cartel Dictates the Media Narrative
A dark shadow fell over the laptop screen. In the dim light of the office, the face of the Boss of the Cartel emerged via video conference, illuminated by a cold blue light. On the other side, Martin the Notary nodded respectfully as the Boss's words echoed in his room like a sentence.
"Martin," the Boss's voice was thick and quiet, yet filled with unmistakable power, "throw another two million into the negative media campaign. We are making billions."
Martin, his eyes burning with ambition, did not hesitate. "I agree, Boss. The money is yours, just say the word."
The Boss leaned back, a predator-like smile spreading across his face. "Send money to the media and pressure them to crush. This is a harvest, Martin, we are harvesting! This is a campaign." His voice became more insistent, almost hissing. "I want murders! I want hundreds of crimes! I want people to be afraid to walk down the street. I want them to know that we can set up absolutely anyone whenever we decide in this country."
Martin, fully consumed by the vision, was enthusiastic. "Boss, we are making a revolution! We are becoming billionaires!"
The Boss smiled, this time with a hint of satisfaction. "Exactly! That's why you pay. Money is not a problem, Martin, pay!"
The Cartel's power was measured not only by weapons and contracts, but also by the manipulation of public opinion. With every million thrown, the web of fear tightened, and the media turned into an unscrupulous instrument for achieving total dominance. For them, this was not a crime, but a "harvest" – the extraction of power and wealth through terror and control. And it seemed Martin was more than ready to take on his role in this sinister harvest.
93m
Harvest for the Cartel: A Feast Amidst the Fear
The Boss of the Cartel laughed – a deep, guttural laugh filling the luxurious office. He was happy. Martin accommodated him, fueling his self-complacency with praise and agreement, and the Boss felt excellent.
"While they are dealing with the 'Killers'!" the Boss uttered, picking up his thought as if it were the funniest joke in the world. "While Sofia is dealing with it all day long in the media! While professional witnesses frame people and give false testimonies... While working with five courts! While there are media campaigns about murders, robberies, rapes..." He took a sip from his glass, his eyes gleaming with malicious pleasure. "People will stare at the TV. And us? We will carry away everything that can be carried away from this country! And then we will rob all of those onlookers, because they are afraid! They will give everything they have!"
Martin, with a devilish smile, chimed in: "Just let them not become like the 'Killers'!"
They burst into wild laughter, their laughter echoing in the room. Alcohol poured into expensive glasses, and white lines of narcotics vanished with a snort. This was their world – a world of unscrupulous power, manipulation, and greed, built upon the fear and ignorance of others. For them, someone else's terror was a celebration, and someone else's panic was music.
94m
Blood on the Media
The morning in Sofia was gray, just like any other when justice dances to the tune of shadowy figures. Emil Milev, a man with tired eyes and scars on his soul, had just tasted freedom. The door of the Specialized Court closed behind his back, leaving him to breathe the air of a city that did not want him outside. "Killers 2" – the case that had held him captive, was now in the past. But his freedom was short-lived because the Cartel wanted blood. It wanted spectacles. It wanted them in the media.
Martin Bozhanov – the Notary, cold as stone and with a gaze that could freeze fire, was the conductor of this unscrupulous orchestra. In his darkened office, where the smell of expensive tobacco blended with the aura of power, he pulled the strings. Facing him sat Mihail Naumov, nervous and sweating, and police officer Zamfirov from the Chief Directorate of National Police – calm, confident, without a shadow of hesitation.
"Milev is out," the Notary's voice sounded from the shadows, cold and commanding. "A pity. I don't like to see unfinished work."
Naumov swallowed hard. "Yes, boss. They released him..."
"But no matter," the Notary interrupted him. "The Cartel wants blood, Mihail. It wants spectacles. It wants them in the media. Do you understand what that means?"
Naumov nodded, sweat breaking out on his forehead.
"We have an ideal opportunity. We have the tool," the Notary continued, his gaze fixing on Zamfirov. "You know who."
"Genov. The professional liar-witness. A proven asset," Zamfirov replied, his voice like steel.
"Exactly. He is the key," the Notary concluded. "We need to bring him in, Zamfirov. Milev will dance to our music again."
Zamfirov stood up. "Right away, boss. I will summon him urgently to the Specialized Court."
Nikolay Genov was a man whose conscience had long been sold. He sat across from Zamfirov in a small, cramped room of the court. It smelled of dust and stale air. Zamfirov handed him a stack of banknotes.
"Here. Two hundred and fifty. For a start," the police officer said.
Genov grabbed the money, his eyes flashing with greed. A corrupt smile bloomed on his face. "Oh, Zamfirov, you are my man! What do you want this time? Whom are we burying?"
Zamfirov looked at him seriously. "Emil Milev. They just let him go, but... he needs to go back."
"Milev? Fine. What should I say?" Genov asked, already used to such orders.
"Listen carefully," Zamfirov leaned forward, his voice quiet but firm. "You have to lie that Milev participated in the robbery in front of the ProCredit bank. And you saw it."
Genov shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know anything about that robbery."
"No problem," Zamfirov reassured him. "Nobody expects you to know. What matters is what you will say. You will say that you were together. Perpetrators."
"And... then what? I won't be prosecuted, right?" Genov was not stupid; he knew the price of his lies.
"Come on, Genov, what are we telling you?" Zamfirov smiled enticingly. "The prosecutors are ours. The state is ours! You just need to frame Milev. We promise you. We will give you money. We will feed you. We will take care of you. We will support you because when you testify, you will become a protected witness!"
Genov's face contorted into an offensive, eager smile. "I agree, boss! I agree to everything!"
"You just need to sign the protocol in front of the judge when he interrogates you. The judge is our man."
"But... I can't remember what to say."
"No problem. We will write it down for you in the protocol. You just have to read it. If you can't read it, just sign it."
Genov nodded energetically, his eyes flashing with malice. "I agree, boss! I agree to everything! Pay enough to bury this guy!"
Zamfirov smiled coldly. "Exactly, Genov. Exactly. Emil Milev threatened the security guards with an assault rifle, you pulled the bag with the money from him. Remember that."
"I remembered, boss. I remembered!" Genov replied.
The two smiled at each other. A sinister silence filled the room, and then they laughed – a cynical, corrupt laugh.
95m
On December 18, 2013, I, Emil Dimitrov Milev, was detained. Pre-trial proceedings were initiated against me for a robbery committed on March 12, 2010, with the victim being Ognyan Bozhilov – pre-trial proceedings No. 375/2013 of the Chief Directorate of National Police, prosecutorial file No. 431/2013 of the Specialized Prosecutor's Office. I was unlawfully detained and unlawfully accused of robbery based on false, bad-faith, biased, and untruthful testimonies by Nikolay Tsvetanov Genov. His testimonies against me, claiming that I participated in committing a robbery against the victim Ognyan Bozhilov, were entirely based on a lie. He asserted an untruth, intentionally committed perjury, and framed me, attributing to me uncommitted crimes – threatening the victim Ognyan Bozhilov with a Kalashnikov assault rifle. He claimed that I was the first to start the robbery, threatening by pointing a Kalashnikov assault rifle at Bozhilov.
On the same date, December 18, 2013, an interrogation of the witness Nikolay Tsvetanov Genov was conducted before a judge in case No. 1599/18.12.2013 of the Specialized Court, under pre-trial proceedings 375/2013 of the Chief Directorate of National Police, prosecutorial file No. 431/2013 of the Specialized Prosecutor's Office. In this interrogation before a judge, the witness Nikolay Tsvetanov Genov committed perjury against me, Emil Dimitrov Milev, and implicated me in committing a robbery on March 12, 2010, with the victim being Ognyan Bozhilov, stating against me, based on a lie, the following false and untruthful testimonies:
"Emil Milev – the Crocodile – threatened the employee of the cash-in-transit company with the assault rifle, I pulled the bag, the sack that I described, from him, and Latsi and Edi attacked the employee and put the handcuffs on him."
The testimonies of Nikolay Tsvetanov Genov before a judge are false and untruthful; they are in bad faith. In this way, based on a lie, he attributes to me a crime I did not commit – robbery by making a threat with a pointed Kalashnikov assault rifle against the victim Ognyan Bozhilov, after which threat the witness Nikolay Genov himself took the bag of money from the victim Ognyan Bozhilov.
These testimonies of the witness Nikolay Tsvetanov Genov are untruthful, false, biased, and in bad faith because this description of the manner of committing the robbery and its participants contradicts the testimonies given by the victim himself, the casualty of the robbery, Ognyan Bozhilov.
He reported a completely different chronology of committing the robbery, a completely different manner of execution and participants, which constitutes a completely different mechanism of committing the robbery. The victim Ognyan Bozhilov was interrogated immediately after the robbery on March 12, 2010, stating the following:
"I was initially attacked by one person, who was at an apparent age of about 30 years, about one meter and eighty centimeters tall, heavy-set, in my opinion about 110-120 kilograms, I think with a round face and short hair. At one point, the person pulled out a pistol, I think a Makarov. As he approached, he screamed at me: 'Give me the money, you beast!'. At that moment, I tried to knock the pistol out of his hand, which was pointed at me, and we scuffled. He was pulling the bag, I wasn't letting it go. At that moment, two people appeared, one armed with a pump-action shotgun, and the other with a submachine gun. The two screamed: 'Get on the ground and give up the money!'. These two were also wearing masks on their faces, like the first one, having pointed their weapons at me. I complied and fell face down on the ground onto the snow. They took the bag with the money and screamed at me to give them the pistol I was holding in a holster on my waist. I gave it to them. After they took it, the first one, who had attacked me initially, kept kicking me on the body as I was on the ground..."
As seen from the testimonies of the victim Ognyan Bozhilov, during the commission of the robbery, he was not initially attacked by one person who threatened him with a Kalashnikov assault rifle, after which a second person took the bag with his money. This means that Nikolay Tsvetanov Genov lied against me, claiming that Emil Dimitrov Milev started the robbery by threatening the victim Ognyan Bozhilov with a pointed Kalashnikov assault rifle.
96m
