Two years to the day after their son Simeon, a Syracuse University graduate student, was shot and killed while delivering chicken wings to an Ostrom Avenue apartment, Kassimira and Georgy Popov sat in the front row of a courtroom gallery Tuesday, waiting for some closure.

The Popovs made the trip from their native country of Bulgaria to witness Dominick Dennard Jr.’s second trial for their son’s murder. Dennard is charged with shooting Simeon Popov while robbing the apartment to which Popov was delivering food. Dennard’s first trial ended in a mistrial last June.

A new jury heard testimony Tuesday from some of the numerous witnesses in the case, including one of the men inside the apartment at the time of the robbery and Popov’s murder.

The Popovs, who an interpreter said were ‘too tortured’ to comment on the proceedings at this point, were accompanied in court by officials from the Jenna Foundation for Non-Violence and SU officials.

‘The university is trying to support the Popovs as much as possible,’ said Patricia Burak, director of SU’s Lillian and Emanuel Slutzker Center for International Services.

The university paid for the Popovs to attend the first trial, but travel plans forced the family to return to Bulgaria before the jury had finished deliberating. This time, the Popovs will be able to stay until the end, their expenses covered by contributions from an anonymous donor and SU’s parent’s special relief fund, Burak said.

In addition to the financial support, members of the university community have rallied to provide the Popovs with moral support during the trial. St. George’s Macedonian Orthodox Church held a ‘panahyda,’ a special ceremony in memory of the dead, Monday night in Popov’s honor, Burak said. Some of SU’s Bulgarian students have also volunteered to act as interpreters for the Popovs during the trial.

Others had more personal reasons for attending the trial. Bill Harris, a professor in the Setnor School of Music who was Popov’s mentor as he worked towards a master’s degree in trombone performance, sat behind the Popovs in the gallery. He hopes the trial will bring the family closure in this ’emotionally draining’ ordeal.

‘I would hope that this jury would see through an obvious attempt to misconstrue the facts,’ he said. ‘I have every reason to believe that they will deliver the right verdict this time.’

Published on January 20, 2004 at 12:00 pm