On July 6, 2018, 19-year-old Tornike Merebashvili was found dead on the Gori-Mejvriskhevi road, near the village of Kheltubani. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, an investigation was launched under Article 115 of the Criminal Code, which refers to driving someone to suicide.

Tornike’s father, Merab Merebashvili, claimed his son had been murdered. He said that before his death, Tornike called his cousin and said he had been shot and needed help. One version suggested he was hit by a car and the driver fled the scene.

On September 14, Tornike’s father and supporters held a protest near Gori City Hall, demanding justice and accusing law enforcement of covering up the killer. Their banners read: “Stop protecting murderers” and “Deliver justice.” They were joined by Malkhaz Machalikashvili, the father of Temirlan Machalikashvili, and Zaza Saralidze, the father of the murdered teenager from the Khorava Street case.

Before the protest in Gori, Merebashvili and locals blocked the main road near the village of Kheltubani. Clashes occurred several times between protesters and police attempting to reopen the road. Later, the father decided to move the protest to Gori, demanding that the Minister of Internal Affairs and the Chief Prosecutor meet him there. Police forces were mobilized near City Hall.

The family gave the Ministry of Internal Affairs two weeks to ensure an objective investigation and then dispersed. Merebashvili announced he would join Saralidze and Machalikashvili in their protests in Tbilisi.

On February 12, 2019, the Ministry announced that a 50-year-old man had been arrested in connection with the case and charged with violating traffic safety rules. The family, however, maintained that Tornike was murdered and that the investigation was mishandled.

On October 21, 2019, the grieving parents met with Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia in Gori, urging him to take the case under personal supervision.

On February 28, 2020, family members and villagers protested outside the Regional Prosecutor’s Office of Shida Kartli and Mtskheta-Mtianeti, insisting that the detained man, Zviad Kochuashvili, was innocent. They accused the police and prosecutors of protecting the real perpetrators. The detainee’s father also joined the protest.

The family continued to demand justice, holding another demonstration on June 2, 2022, with banners reading “The Prosecutor’s Office Protects Murderers,” “The System Must Fall,” and “You Could Be Next.”

On December 27, 2022, the Public Defender concluded that the investigation had not been conducted properly. The most recent update came on April 20, 2024, when Tornike Merebashvili’s parents confronted leaders of the ruling Georgian Dream party, once again holding a banner that read “Stop Protecting Murderers!” Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili spoke with them, but the meeting led to no progress in the investigation.