Bulgarian National Sentenced to Life After Killing Greek Employer

A 59-year-old Bulgarian national was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Volos Mixed Jury Court for the brutal murder of his elderly employer in Farsala last year. The verdict was unanimous, with both jurors and judges finding him guilty of premeditated murder in a calm state of mind.

The convicted man, already in custody, will serve his sentence in prison pending appeal at the Larissa Mixed Jury Court of Appeals. Prosecutors have also referred the case to the Larissa Appeals Prosecutor’s Office to investigate possible involvement of others in the killing.

The 85-year-old victim was found dead in a field between Dasolofos and Chalkiades in the Farsala municipality, having suffered multiple head injuries, likely from a hoe. The forensic pathologist determined that the victim died on the morning of October 31, 2024, with severe cranial trauma to the forehead and back of the head. The investigation began after the victim’s pickup truck was found abandoned in Thessaloniki, which the perpetrator had taken following the murder.

Authorities noted that the accused was known to them, having recently been released from prison. The elderly man had employed him to work in his fields during the summer. The motive appears to have been financial, as the perpetrator reportedly searched the victim’s pockets and bag. The 59-year-old denied the allegations, claiming he had spent the day seeking work in Athens, Elassona, and Olympiada, Halkidiki, before returning to Bulgaria to renew his ID. He said he had worked only one day at the walnut farm and accused two fellow Bulgarians of defrauding him, suggesting they might have killed the elderly man to avoid being reported.

Family members testified that the perpetrator had lived in the village and caused problems previously. After the murder, he reportedly told them he was in Patras, while the victim’s truck had been located in Northern Greece. Police noted that no fingerprints were found on the steering wheel or the murder weapon, suggesting the perpetrator had cleaned them.