The district court in the Bulgarian city of Yambol has postponed the trial against Ivan Yanakiev, accused of murdering the 17-year-old Galin Nikolov in 2009.

The murdered boy's parents and witnesses have testified in the court. However, the magistrates decided Tuesday to postpone the trial for October 7.

Nikolov's parents have reported him missing on May 21, 2009. The Bulgarian police have begun a nation-wide search for the boy.

On that day, Nikolov had been forced into a car by three youths. Their initial intention had been to take his keys to steal money from his house, because the victim’s parents had recently sold some properties.

When he refused to hand over the keys, he was stabbed three times – in the neck, waist and abdomen.

The three dug a shallow grave at the foot of the nearby Bakadjik mountain and buried Nikolov. The killer returned to school, and the others went to Turkey two days later to celebrate their graduation.

A few days later, the trio returned to the site, and dragged Nikolov’s body to another, deeper grave they had prepared.

Later, the three made full confessions before a judge, telling him the exact location of the grave. A pickaxe used to dig the grave, and the victim’s mobile phone and other physical evidence was discovered at the scene.

Ivan Yanakiev, aged 18, already had a record of four convictions within the past two years – for assault and battery, and for incurring bodily injury. On the day of the murder, he had signed in at his local probation office, the Commissioner explained.

His accomplices have not yet been charged for their alleged participation in the incident. One is by now a student in Sofia, the other is working.

Yanakiev himself is now attending an elite school in Yambol. At the time of the murder, he was still a legal minor.

The Commissioner explained that Yanakiev had been insolent with the police who carried out the investigation, even accusing them of harassment. Dragnev also commented that, if the police had not caught Yanakiev, there would have been even more murders.

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