A verdict in the trial over the death of Hristina is expected on December 9, the same day closing arguments are due. The family's lawyer, Georgi Radkov, said so.

On November 11 it emerged that the Burgas Court of Appeal had lifted the house arrest of defendant Nikola Burgazliev and sent him back to jail after prosecutors appealed. Radkov called the ruling logical.

The previous development: Burgas appeals court sends Nikola Burgazliev back to custody over flight risk

He said the court had kept its earlier reasons. The lawyer believes the risk that Burgazliev will flee is clear: he is young, faces a life sentence and may try to start a new life elsewhere. The law sets a penalty of 13 to 20 years in prison or life.

This is the 12th time the court has ruled on Burgazliev's detention, Radkov said. First the Regional Court decided that an ankle tag for house arrest was not enough to stop him leaving the country. A month later it decided that it was.

The latest request on the measure was filed two days after the previous hearing, with no new facts. There have now been more hearings on it than on the main case, and the criminal court has become a specialised court for Burgazliev's detention, the lawyer said. He expects the measure to keep being reviewed.

The family does not want a lynching, only the punishment the law sets, and nothing more, Radkov said.

He expects closing arguments and new requests from the defence, which is its right. It is the court's right to issue fair rulings, and if the first court gets it wrong, there is an appeal review, he said.