Third suspect in the murder of the millionaire from Sibiu found in Indonesia

Following international police cooperation between the Romanian Police and the Indonesian authorities and the support of internal and external partners, Cosmin Costinel Zuleam, 33, internationally wanted as a MOST WANTED suspect, was located and arrested in Indonesia.

A preventive arrest warrant had been issued in his name after, on November 19, 2023, the Sibiu Court issued a preventive arrest warrant against him, a resident of Horezu Poenari, Dolj County, for committing the crimes of aggravated murder and two counts of aggravated robbery.

„Following international police cooperation between the Romanian authorities and those of Hungary, France, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland, the Romanian Police located two men, both aged 35, in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, namely in Scotland and Northern Ireland, who were suspected of robbery followed by the death of the victim, as reported to the Sibiu County Police Inspectorate. In this case, procedures have been initiated to bring the man back to the country,” the Romanian Police said.

According to the source cited, this location is the result of cooperation with authorities in several countries and the establishment of a travel route.

The killers of businessman Adrian Kreiner from Sibiu – Cosmin Zuleam, Laurențiu Ghiță, and Cristian Minae – were sentenced to long prison terms by the Alba Court in November 2025.

Cosmin Zuleam was sentenced to 3 years for aggravated theft, 4 years for complicity in aggravated theft, 8 years for aggravated robbery, 9 years for aggravated robbery, and 22 years for aggravated murder, resulting in a total sentence of 30 years in prison.

The other two were sentenced to life imprisonment: Cristian Minae, present in the courtroom, was sentenced to 4 years for aggravated theft, 7 years for aggravated theft, 12 years for aggravated robbery, 10 years for complicity in aggravated robbery – sentenced to life imprisonment for aggravated murder. Laurențiu Ghiță, present in the courtroom, was sentenced to three years for complicity in aggravated theft, seven years for aggravated theft, 12 years for aggravated robbery, 12 years for aggravated robbery, and life imprisonment for aggravated murder.

The three are also required to pay substantial moral damages: Adriana Emilia, Kreiner’s partner, will receive €150,000 jointly and severally, and Vanesa Kreiner, the businessman’s daughter, will receive €300,000 in moral damages jointly and severally.

The 16 watches stolen on the night of the crime, worth almost €200,000, were returned to the injured parties.

The sentences are not final.

The case was initially registered with the Sibiu Tribunal, but in the meantime, all the judges became incompatible because they had judged other cases, at an early stage, in which they were defendants. As a result, the case ended up at the Alba Tribunal, following a decision by the Alba Iulia Court of Appeal.

After killing Adrian Kreiner, the three fled the country with watches worth over €200,000. Ghiță and Minae were caught, the former in Scotland and the latter in Ireland. Since then, they have been in preventive detention at the Aiud Maximum Security Penitentiary.

The film of Kreiner’s murder was terrifying. After entering the victim’s yard, two of the suspects unscrewed the perimeter lighting bulbs, opened a window in the garage, which was tilted open, and entered the victim’s garage at around 2:38 a.m. From the garage, they entered the house, where the victim was on the ground floor in the living room, most likely asleep on the sofa.

Adrian Kreiner was tied up with his hands and feet in a boat position, so that any movement of any limb would cause the rope to tighten, after which he was left on the floor in an „Arbatachar-type” tie. This is a way of tying up the victim in which traumatic shock sets in quickly by interrupting blood flow, leading to paralysis. It is also a form of torture where the pain is extreme, used to force the victim to reveal where they have hidden money or valuables. When leaving the house after committing the crime, the suspects covered the victim’s body and head with the blanket from the sofa where he had fallen asleep.