Mihail Leshtarski

Mihail Tsvetanov Leshtarski (; born March 19, 1959), known as The Killer from the Cave , is a Bulgarian thief, robber, murderer and suspected serial killer. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of 59-year-old Elena Tomova in Vlado Trichkov, and is suspected of murdering at least four other pensioners from 2009 to 2011.

Biography Early life Mihail Leshtarski was born in 1959 in the village of Tsarevets as one of two children. His father Tsvetan was a wealthy shopkeeper, but a very aggressive and nervous man, while his mother was a housekeeper. Mihail Leshtarski was an unruly child, and in order to discipline him, his father would chain him to the family bed and put food just out of reach, starving his young son, with his mother never trying to protect or even interact at all with him. His father would even chain him to the family car and drive around the yard, and beat him with a motor cord until his skin turned blue. He studied up to the 8th grade, but didn't finish his education, and was continuously incarcerated for various robberies throughout the rest of his life,

The day before, Leshtarski had boarded a train from Mezdra to Sofia and landed in Vlado Trichkov, where he then proceeded to wander around the hillside, sleeping in abandoned houses without doors or windows before continuing to drift along. He eventually reached Tomova's house, entering through a broken window from the back side, and began looking for food and water. Leshtarski found and drank a bottle of gin, and then ate some canned mushrooms and cucumbers before deciding to leave. He then returned a few hours later to check if anybody was home, noticing that Tomova was there – a plump woman, 160 cm tall, blond hair, wearing a dress, a vest and some slippers. and is currently serving in Sofia Central Prison. It was initially thought that, due to wild dogs having torn apart the rest of the corpse, she had been attacked by the rabid beings, but it was later determined that this was not the case. Leshtarski might have also had a motive here – the woman resembled the prostitute which had abandoned him years ago.

There is also a possibility for even more murders, as murders of elderly people have been reported around the country. The fact that while searching through his cave police found 12 pairs of glasses, possibly means that for the period that he was hiding out in the mountain range and travelled to the seaside, Leshtarski might have murdered more people living in remote villages.

Aftermath Leshtarski continues to deny any of the murders attributed to him, claiming that the police have framed him and that the real killer is out there. He has taken a huge dislike to his portrayal in the media, and in 2016, he claimed that when he gets out, he'd skin alive at least five people.

In 2020, during an interview with psychologist Todor Todorov recorded on the Bulgarian show No Man's Land, Leshtarski admitted to two further murders: his very first killing, which occurred in his native Tsarevets in 1999, when he got drunk and beat to death a female neighbor without any reason; he also confessed to killing a midwife whose death was erroneously attributed to heart problems, but refused to divulge the date or location of the crime. In response to his claims, prosecutors have indicated that they would investigate the claims and bring new charges if enough evidence is gathered.