Suspicious death of Duygu Delen: Arrest warrant against Mehmet K.

* Photo: Evrim Kepenek / bianet

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The upper court has accepted the objection to the house arrest of Mehmet K., the defendant who had been arrested pending trial over the death of 17-year-old Duygu Delen, who lost her life after falling from the balcony of her boyfriend K.'s house on August 13, 2020.

Taken into custody from his house yesterday (June 22), defendant Mehmet K. has been sent to prison to be arrested. 

After Delen died by falling from the fourth floor of a five-storey building in Şehitkamil district of southeastern Gaziantep province, Mehmet K. alleged that Duygu Delen committed suicide. However, an investigation was launched against Mehmet K. amid suspicions of murder. He is facing aggravated life sentence and 32 years in prison for "killing" Delen.

While the defendant was arrested pending trial, the 10th Heavy Penal Court released him to house arrest on June 16, 2021. The Gaziantep Chief Public Prosecutor's Office appealed against this ruling.

Having examined the appeal, the 11th Heavy Penal Court handed down its ruling, found the appeal justified and issued an arrest warrant against the defendant, considering the time he had served behind bars.

Upon this arrest warrant, police officers went to the house of Mehmet K. and detained him to arrest and send him to prison again.

The defendant's release to house arrest previously caused a public outrage; the arrest warrant has been issued amid this outrage.

What happened?

Duygu Delen suspiciously lost her life by falling off the house of a man named Mehmet K. in Antep on August 13, 2020. She was 17 years old.

Her friends said that Delen did not commit suicide and that Mehmet K. was responsible for her death. Mehmet K. was detained. He said that "they had a row and Duygu Delen jumped off the window herself."

Mehmet K. was arrested on charges of "sexual abuse of the child" and "wilful murder" on August 14. It was also understood that he drove while he was drunk and caused the death of a woman before.

The bill of indictment prepared by the Gaziantep Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has demanded that Mehmet K. be penalized on charges of "wilful killing of a child" as well as "aggravated sexual abuse of a child", "insult" and "plunder in residence." He faces aggravated life imprisonment and prison sentences on the offenses charged. (EMK/SD)