Suspect who strangled his wife to death in Manisa appears in court!

Gökhan Eller, who strangled his wife Selda Eller to death in an incident that occurred on September 23, 2024, at a luxury residential complex in the Güzelyurt neighborhood of Manisa's Yunusemre district, has appeared before the Manisa 4th High Criminal Court. Before the hearing, Manisa Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ferdi Zeyrek, CHP Manisa Provincial Chair İlksen Özalper, the mother of the murdered Selda Eller, Zehra Canşahin, her father Mustafa Durmaz, and representatives from non-governmental organizations held a joint press conference.

Meeting with the victim's family at the courthouse before the hearing, Manisa Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ferdi Zeyrek stated in his remarks to journalists that they want violence against women to end and that they want to see women in factories they manage, in the actions they take, and in the highest positions in the country. Zeyrek said, "There is a metropolitan municipality and its mayor who will defend their rights. We are saying that this must end now; we do not want any more children, mothers, or fathers to weep or have their hearts bleed here because of the violence their daughters have suffered. Today, we wanted to stand by both our mother and our father at the courthouse. Hopefully, with the trial to be held shortly, the monster who committed this crime will be punished in the most severe way. This will also be an example for our country. We hope that these incidents will come to an end."

Mother Zehra Canşahin stated that she wants the defendant Gökhan Eller to receive the heaviest sentence, while father Mustafa Durmaz explained that his daughter gave her life for the defendant, saying, "My daughter worked her fingers to the bone for him. He was supposed to be a man, but it turns out he was a traitor, a murderer; may he never see the light of day. He left my two grandchildren without a mother or a father; may he rot in prison."

During the hearing, the defendant Gökhan Eller, who was present in the courtroom, was asked for his statement. Defendant Gökhan Eller began his defense in court by apologizing to the family of the victim, Selda Eller, and his own family. The defendant claimed that he learned that Selda Eller, whom he first married in 2002, was cheating on him, and that they argued frequently for this reason and divorced in 2018, but that they remarried in 2019 because their 2 children were young and he loved his wife. Alleging that the problems they experienced in their first marriage continued when he married the victim Selda Eller for the second time, that his wife exhibited suspicious behavior and was cheating on him again, Eller stated that they decided to divorce for the second time in August of this year, drew up a protocol for the division of property, and initiated the divorce process.

Stating that Selda Eller called him on the day of the incident and asked him to pick up his belongings from the house, and that he went to the house for this reason, Gökhan Eller claimed that when he arrived, they began to argue and his wife provoked him by saying, "she would take all his assets and be with his closest friend." Defendant Gökhan Eller said, "Selda called me and said, 'Come and get your things quickly.' When I arrived at the house, she greeted me by saying, 'Have you arrived, you goddamn nuisance?' She said, 'Take your things and get out.' While I was packing my things, she was throwing insults at me. She was saying, 'I will take everything down to your underwear. I don't want to breathe the same air as you.' She said, 'I will sleep with Taner in this house.' I went to the children's room. Showing me a photo of myself with a friend named Kamil, she was saying, 'I will be with Kamil in your bed.' Even though I was cheated on, I remarried because I loved my wife and children. I started to strangle Selda with my son's trousers. It lasted 3-4 seconds. Then she fell to the floor. When Selda fell to the floor, there was blood coming from her nose and mouth. (Police officer) A.K. brother called me. I said, 'Brother, I strangled Selda. She was alive when I left the house. Send an ambulance quickly, I am going to the Barbaros Police Station.' I went to the police station with A.K."

When reminded that Selda Eller's phone was still missing, Gökhan Eller said, "My wife's phone could not be found. I remember giving it to the police station. I was surprised when my lawyer said the phone was nowhere to be found. I took the phone when I was leaving the house. I had no intention of destroying evidence. I do not know if any posts were made from my wife's phone. I went to the house on the evening of the incident because my wife called me. I called my mother after the incident. There were those who called me, but I did not answer."

Later, the victim Selda Eller's father, Mustafa Durmaz, testified as a witness. In his statement, Durmaz said that his son-in-law neglected the care of his home and his daughter even in the early days of their marriage. Stating that his son-in-law and grandchild visited him 2 days before the incident, he said, "When I offered my grandchild 100 liras as pocket money, my grandchild was shy and did not take it. There, Gökhan said to me, 'Love your grandchild for the last time. You will long for both your grandchild and your daughter Selda.' At that moment, there was a women's murder program on television. I think we were watching Müge Anlı. Turning to us, he said, 'Our end will be like this too.' I want him to receive the heaviest sentence."

The family's lawyer, Ali Arslan, stated that the defendant was trying to get a sentence reduction by fabricating a situation of infidelity and provocation for a murder he committed with premeditation, saying, "What the defendant did before and after the murder clearly shows that he actually premeditated the murder. We want the defendant to be punished in the most severe way for the crime of 'premeditated and intentional murder' without any reduction."

The court panel decided to continue the defendant's detention and to adjourn the case to February 18 for the hearing of other witnesses in the file and the examination of HTS records and other evidence.

News Source: 12punto