Flash development in the obsessive stalking brutality in İzmir: Rearrest decision for the released attacker

The terrible incident that took place in the Kemalpaşa district of İzmir in Ekim 2024 drew attention as one of the cases of violence resulting in stalking that occupied the country's agenda. The perpetrator of the incident, 17 yaşındaki Ç.E.D., attacked her 18-year-old neighbor Betül Ç., whom she had been obsessed with for about five months, on the street in the morning hours. The attacker, who stabbed the young girl repeatedly, also robbed the victim of her mobile phone and quickly fled the scene. This brutal attack proved not only a past disagreement between the two young people, but also how devastating the consequences of a systematic obsession can be. This incident, which caused the victim to experience a life-threatening situation, was solved in a short time thanks to the meticulous work of the gendarmerie teams.

The suspect, who fled after the incident and hid in a house in the Bornova district, was caught in an operation conducted by the gendarmerie teams. Ç.E.D., who was tried at the İzmir 2'nci Çocuk Ağır Ceza Mahkemesi, was given a heavy sentence at the end of the trial process. The court ruled that the defendant be sentenced to 12 years for the crime of 'attempted deliberate killing' and 6 years 8 months for the crime of 'armed robbery.' Thus, the perpetrator, who received a total of 18 yıl 8 ay in prison, had to serve his sentence in juvenile prisons. However, the legal process did not end here, and the case was appealed to a higher court.

This decision of the local court was overturned as a result of the case being taken to the appellate court. Following this development, Ç.E.D., who appeared before the judge again, faced a surprise at the critical hearing held on 7 Temmuz. The court panel stated some conditions, citing the defendant's young age, the time he spent in detention, and the fact that detention is only a precautionary measure. In this context, the young man was released on the condition of a ban on leaving the country and judicial control. The release decision left both the relatives of the victim and the public in great frustration and anger.

Immediately after the release decision was made, the İzmir Cumhuriyet Başsavcılığı took the matter into consideration and objected to the court, reacting to the situation. The prosecutor's objection and the details in the case file were taken under review again and much more strictly. In the review, camera recordings of the crime scene, reports from gendarmerie criminal laboratory experts, forensic medicine examinations, and detailed statements of the victim's side were evaluated as evidence. All these evidences contained very strong and clear data showing that the perpetrator's crime was definite. The prosecutor's objection was based on the idea that the court's decision might have been rushed during the execution phase.

The court panel, which re-evaluated all the evidence, found the prosecutor's objection justified and overturned the release decision. In the reasoning of the decision, it was emphasized that the crime of 'attempted deliberate killing' committed by the defendant is among the catalog crimes specified in Article 100/3 of the Criminal Procedure Code and that the suspicion of escape is high. In addition, the court concluded that judicial control measures would definitely be insufficient at this stage due to the severity of the probable sentence the perpetrator would receive and the nature of the crime. Finally, it was ruled that an arrest warrant be issued for the rearrest of Ç.E.D., who has the status of a child driven to crime. With this flash decision, the fact that the perpetrator, who was previously released, will go back to prison provided some relief for those who believe that justice has been served, especially the victim and her family.