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Suspects in Slovak journalist's murder charged in second killing


Protesters gather in Bratislava, Slovakia, on on February 21, 2019, the first anniversary of the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova. (Photo by VLADIMIR SIMICEK / AFP)
Protesters gather in Bratislava, Slovakia, on on February 21, 2019, the first anniversary of the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova. (Photo by VLADIMIR SIMICEK / AFP)

Two of the suspects charged with the murder of a Slovak journalist investigating corruption were implicated Monday in another killing, according to national police.

"Two persons from the Jan Kuciak murder case were charged with the premeditated murder of a businessman" at home in December 2016, Slovak police said on their Facebook page.

Police identified the men only as T.S. and M.M., adding that the murder weapon, a gun, was recovered from a river.

Local media reported the victim as Peter Molnar, an entrepreneur from the western town of Kolarovo, and said the men charged were Tomas S. and Miroslav M.

Both were charged last year with Kuciak's murder, who had been probing ties between high-level politicians and the Italian mafia when he and his fiancee were gunned down at home in February 2018.

The double murder and Kuciak's last explosive report -- published posthumously -- raised concerns about media freedom and political corruption, triggered mass protests and toppled a prime minister in the EU member.

In addition to Tomas S. and Miroslav M., three other people have been charged with Kuciak's murder.

They include Slovak entrepreneur Marian Kocner, whose business activities were the subject of an investigation by Kuciak and who prosecutors say had ordered the murder, as well as Kocner's one-time interpreter, Alena Zs.

Alena Zs. was also charged earlier this year with another murder, the 2010 killing of a former mayor.

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