Father who killed his daughter claims 'she stabbed herself': Mother does not file a complaint

According to the information obtained, Turhan Özdemir (54) encountered his daughter Dilan Özdemir (19), who was allegedly using drugs, in a side street in the Anadolu neighborhood of the central Yüreğir district on February 26.

An argument broke out between the father and daughter over drug money. As the argument turned into a fight, Turhan Özdemir wounded his daughter with a knife. While Turhan Özdemir fled, his daughter Dilan Özdemir collapsed to the ground covered in blood.

Dilan Özdemir, who was taken to Yüreğir State Hospital, could not be saved despite all interventions. The trial of the arrested Turhan Özdemir, who was charged with 'killing his daughter' at the Adana 13th High Criminal Court, has begun. The defendant Turhan Özdemir, his wife Kadriye, their sons Mahmut and Ömer, their daughter Şehriban Özdemir, and the lawyers for the parties attended the hearing.

In his defense at the hearing, defendant Turhan Özdemir claimed that his daughter had stabbed herself. Stating that they had placed his daughter in a youth detention center, Özdemir said, "My daughter was using drugs and was constantly running away from the center. We even heard from the neighborhood that she was selling drugs to others."

"I DID NOT WOUND MY DAUGHTER, SHE WOUNDED HERSELF"

Defendant Turhan Özdemir described how the incident occurred as follows:

"On the day of the incident, I was on my way home from work when I ran into Dilan. She came up to me and asked for drug money. Since I was in my work clothes and didn't have any money on me, I said, 'Let's go home.' She didn't accept this and suddenly walked towards me, pulled out a knife, and said, 'I will burn your house down.' People in the neighborhood were already talking about us because they knew about my daughter's situation.

I said, 'Daughter, put down what's in your hand, look, we are being disgraced. Let's go home,' so that the situation wouldn't escalate further. At that moment, as I tried to grab the knife in her hand, my daughter stabbed herself. I did not wound my daughter; she wounded herself. I don't know how many times she stabbed herself.

While I was in shock from the incident, people around me came and told me, 'Run away from here,' so I fled. The police were arriving at the scene as I was leaving. The police caught me shortly after anyway."

The mother of the murdered Dilan, Kadriye Özdemir, did not file a complaint against her husband, the defendant. Stating that her daughter was a drug addict, Özdemir said, "We had placed our daughter in a youth detention center to keep her away from drugs. She had been away from home for 3 years. She wouldn't come home. However, she continued to use drugs and kept running away from the center. She would even steal the gold from our house because of drugs and go sell it.

When she came home, she would make our lives miserable. She would constantly threaten us, saying, 'I will burn this house down.' Sometimes my daughter would ride on someone's motorcycle in the neighborhood wearing only her underwear or even naked, and she would send photos to her siblings.

She did this under the influence of drugs, but our neighbors were also saying that my daughter was a drug addict and was even being used for prostitution. That's why they were constantly talking about us. I am not filing a complaint against my husband," she said.

Mahmut Özdemir and his brother Ömer Özdemir also reiterated what their mother said and did not file a complaint against their father.

Damla Aytekin (22), who is currently under arrest and facing a life sentence for allegedly beating Dilan's boyfriend Selam Şen to death after the incident on the grounds that he did not prevent Dilan's murder, was heard as a witness. Aytekin, whose testimony was taken via the Audio and Video Information System (SEGBİS) from the prison where she is being held, stated that she had been friends with Dilan for 8 months and said they went to the neighborhood together on the day of the incident.

Father who killed his daughter claims 'she stabbed herself':
Mother does not file a complainthttps://t.co/mSIVGpfPcO pic.twitter.com/hQtM2XJDoe

— 12punto (@12puntocomtr) September 12, 2024

Stating that she met with her friend to get Dilan's ID, Aytekin said, "Dilan used to tell me that her boyfriend Selam Şen was selling her for money. Other than that, the prostitution allegations are not true. I, Dilan, and her boyfriend Selam Şen went to the neighborhood together to get the ID. While we were talking in the side street, about 5-10 minutes later, Dilan's father started coming towards us with a knife in his hand. When Dilan saw her father, she tried to run away and said, 'Father, don't.' I don't know what happened after that. I learned that Dilan had died when we went to the hospital," she said.

Given the floor following the witness's allegations, defendant Turhan Özdemir denied the accusations, saying, "I did not walk towards my daughter with a knife. She wounded herself."

The court panel decided to continue the detention of defendant Turhan Özdemir and adjourned the hearing to complete the missing evidence.

News Source: İHA