| Jehovah's Witness, age 49, bled to death May 20, 1998, from an abdominal gunshot wound after refusing blood transfusions at Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, California. SOURCE (public media): Santa Barbara "NEWS PRESS" 5/21/98 article "Wounded insurance agent dies" by DAWN HOBBS, as found Thursday May 21, 1998, at the newspaper's online edition website http://news.newspress.com/local/murder.htm |
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SANTA BARBARA CALIFORNIA "NEWS PRESS" WEBSITE http://news.newspress.com/local/murder.htm Wounded insurance agent dies 5/21/98 By DAWN HOBBS NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER An insurance agent shot days ago - apparently by a disgruntled client - died Wednesday of complications after his religious beliefs led him to refuse blood transfusions that might have prolonged his life. Coroner's officials attribute Frank Blanchet's death to the gunshot wound to the abdomen he received Monday, allegedly at the hands of an elderly Santa Barbara man recently diagnosed with terminal lung and gall bladder cancer. Angel Ivanov Kostov, 82, told authorities that he intentionally lured Blanchet to a vacant lot he owns on De la Guerra Street to kill the Farmer's Insurance agent because he was angry over how the company has handled a 5-year-old fire claim. Blanchet, 49, and his family declined blood transfusions because they are Jehovah's Witnesses, said Deputy Coroner Larry Gillespie. Because of their beliefs, members of the Christian millennialist group also refuse military service and do not salute the flag. Gillespie said Blanchet's condition deteriorated ``due to blood loss." Blanchet was in critical condition prior to surgery at Cottage Hospital on Monday, but had stabilized by Tuesday, authorities said. His wounds, at that time, were not considered life-threatening.``The blood would have greatly benefited him, there is no question of that,'' Gillespie said. ``But would he have lived? We don't know." Blanchet's family was too distraught to comment Wednesday, but neighbors and a co-worker characterized him as a quiet, friendly person and a dedicated family man and father of a 15-year-old daughter as well as three adult children from a prior marriage.``I never thought something like this would ever happen to him,'' said neighbor Steven Morello. ``This is so sad. I thought he was getting better." Morello said Blanchet was involved with his congregation, holding several Bible study sessions at his house each week. He was also an avid hunter, fisherman and camper and attended all of his teen daughter's BMX bicycle races.``They did a lot of things together as a family,'' Morello said. ``This is going to devastate them." Since Blanchet's death at 8:12 a.m. Wednesday, charges against Kostov have been amended from attempted murder to murder. His arraignment - originally scheduled Wednesday - has been reset for May 28.``He did not have the right to be the judge, jury and executioner for a man who would have celebrated his 50th birthday in just one month,'' said Darryl Perlin, the senior deputy district attorney who will prosecute the case. Legal experts say that regardless of whether Blanchet turned down a blood transfusion, most juries would still hold Kostov responsible for the insurance agent's death because Kostov is the one who began the `chain of causation.'``The fact that he happened to attack somebody who has certain religious beliefs doesn't matter,'' said Laurie Levenson, assistant dean at the Loyola School of Law.``He is technically still responsible for the murder,'' Levenson said. ``It's just his bad luck that he picked a victim who doesn't follow standard medical practice." Authorities have said that a jammed pistol actually prevented Kostov from killing Blanchet in the vacant lot on Monday. Kostov reportedly told authorities he had planned to fire a shot from the .50-caliber pistol into the agent's head after shooting him in the stomach. Kostov then planned to the turn the rare Israeli-made weapon, called a Desert Eagle, on himself. Philip de Firmian of Santa Barbara, who owns the Israli assault pistol, said he was in the process of selling it to Kostov for $1,400. He had given the gun to Kostov on Saturday night and they were to meet again Monday to complete the paperwork necessary to transfer ownership.``I hadn't sold it to him yet,'' de Firmian explained. ``He said he wanted to show it to a friend first to see if he was getting his money's worth." De Firmian and others said they were stunned by the elderly defendant's alleged crime. They characterized the diminutive Kostov, who is a native of Bulgaria, as a caring and generous man. They also said he was frequently frustrated by his inability to communicate well in English and took prescribed valium to calm his nerves.``He probably didn't know how to deal with his anger and he just snapped,'' said friend Susan Cooper. Kostov arranged to meet Blanchet at the property around 2 p.m. Monday under the pretense of receiving an appraisal on another piece of property, police said. The now-vacant lot at 418 W. De la Guerra St. where Blanchet was shot was once home to an older Victorian apartment complex that Kostov owned. A fire gutted the complex in July 1993 and authorities have since been investigating it as arson. Kostov and others who lived in the complex were questioned as possible suspects in the blaze, authorities said. The case is still under investigation. Since then, Kostov's civil attorney says he has had difficulty obtaining the full amount of his fire claim which has led to pending civil suits. The matter is set for a case management conference Friday, but Kostov's attorney said he is uncertain whether it will be rescheduled. |