TV Host Found Raped, Murdered in Park

Killing of Viktoria Marinova shocks Bulgaria
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 8, 2018 2:05 AM CDT
Bulgarian Journalist Raped, Murdered in Park
Viktoria Marinova.   (Facebook)

Bulgaria has been rocked by the brutal murder of journalist Viktoria Marinova, who was found dead in a park on Saturday afternoon. Police say the 30-year-old TV host was raped, beaten, and strangled in a riverside park in the town of Ruse, Balkan Insight reports. Authorities told reporters Sunday that they are trying to determine whether the murder was linked to her work, and they are considering "all versions" of events. Marinova, who was also the administrative director of the regional channel TVN, was found dead about two hours after she told friends she was going for a run to prepare for an upcoming marathon, the Monitor reports.

Prosecutors say possessions including Marinova's cell phone, car keys, and most of her clothing were missing. The Guardian reports that in the most recent episode of her current affairs show Detector, Marinova spoke to investigative journalists looking into alleged fraud involving EU funds, politicians, and large infrastructure companies. The two reporters she spoke to were briefly detained after the show aired. The Committee to Protect Journalists "is shocked by the barbaric murder," spokesman Tom Gibson said in a statement. "Bulgarian authorities must employ all efforts and resources to carry out an exhaustive inquiry and bring to justice those responsible." (More Bulgaria stories.)

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