Police: Mother and Son Stabbed to Death

Views on BG | February 4, 2010, Thursday // 09:11
Bulgaria: Police: Mother and Son Stabbed to Death The sister and nephew of assassinated Bulgarian tycoon Iliya Pavlov were found dead around 11 pm Monday in their home in the 4500 block of Hanover Court in Dace City, Prince William County, Virginia. Photo by BGNES

From Inside NoVa, Northern Virginia news website

By Uriah Kiser and Kari Pugh

DALE CITY, Va.—Slavka Naydenova had lunch with her 8-year-old son nearly every school day in the cafeteria at Mary G. Porter Traditional School.

Paul Wilson, the cute boy with a crooked smile, was full of jokes and always made other students laugh, classmates’ parents said.

Their deaths came as a huge shock to the Porter community, and other communities around the world.

Naydenova and her young son were stabbed to death in their Dale City home Monday night, police said Wednesday. Paul’s stepmother — 47-year-old Natalia Wilson — is charged with two counts of murder in their deaths.

Prince William County Commonwealth’s Attorney Paul Ebert said the case appears to be domestic in nature. But there’s a twist that has sparked international conversation and speculation.

Naydenova, 41, is the sister of an assassinated Bulgarian mafia leader. She, sources said, was a mail-order bride to Arlington resident Lester Wilson. The two divorced sometime after their son, Paul, was born.

Lester Wilson’s current wife, now charged in the gruesome murders, is from Russia and speaks no English. The language barrier provided a challenge for Prince William police, who turned to the FBI for a Russian speaking linguist.

Police and prosecutors offered no motive for the crime Wednesday. They said the investigation continues and they are looking into Natalia’s travels from Arlington to Dale City the night of the killings.

Naydenova’s current husband — whose name police did not release — found the bodies of his stepson and wife at 11:10 p.m. Monday in their home at 4501 Hanover Court off Hillendale Drive.

“The examination of the bodies by the medical examiner and detectives revealed extensive injuries as a result of cutting and stabbing, which would lead anyone to conclude there is no doubt of the [suspect’s] intent to kill,” said Prince William County police Chief Charlie T. Deane.

Bulgarian past

Naydenova’s family ties don’t appear to have anything to do with her death, Ebert said. In fact, little is known about her, except that she and her first husband — Lester Wilson — bought the house on Hanover Court on Nov. 3, 2000.

Ebert said Naydenova met her current husband in Bulgaria in March 2003, at the funeral for her brother, Iliya Pavlov. Her husband, now a janitor, worked as one of Pavlov’s bodyguards.

Pavlov was Bulgaria’s wealthiest businessman and was alleged to be the head of the country’s mafia. A year before his death, he was named one of 25 billionaires in Central and Eastern Europe, according to the Sofia News Agency in Bulgaria.

He was shot to death in his office in March 2003.

On Wednesday, Pavel Naydenov — father of the Bulgarian tycoon and the slain Dale City woman — was quoted telling the Sofia News Agency that he thought his daughter’s death may have been a mafia hit.

“She could have had problems with making payments to banks, but banks hardly ever kill people over default loans,” said Naydenova’s father.

The Sofia News Agency and other media outlets across Europe carried stories of Naydenova’s death Wednesday.

The Focus News Agency in Bulgaria quoted that nation’s chief prosecutor, Boris Velchev, and U.S. ambassador to Bulgaria, James Warlick, as saying they offered help to Prince William police in investigating the murders.

Deane wouldn’t comment on the international notoriety surrounding the case, but said no other residents are thought to be in any danger.

Little boy remembered

News of the two deaths has rocked the school community at Porter Traditional School in Woodbridge, where Paul attended second grade.

One parent of a classmate said news of Naydenova’s possible link to the mob now overshadows the life of the two special individuals who were killed.

“Now, the general public will think about the ties to the Bulgaria mafia,” stated a reader who e-mailed the News & Messenger. “They will give no thought to a mother and a son that lost their lives.”

Porter Traditional School Principal Darci Whitehead expressed her sympathies over the two deaths in a statement on the school’s Web site, calling them a “tragic loss.” The school system’s crisis response team was on hand at the school Tuesday following news of the two deaths.

In addition to the FBI, police said International Customs Enforcement and the Arlington police also played a role in the ongoing investigation.

Police asked anyone with information about this crime to call Crime Solvers at 703-670-3700.

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Tags: Slavka Naydenova, Iliya Pavlov, Murder, Virginia, Dale City

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