Reduced sentence for police officer who murdered his wife during divorce proceedings

The incident occurred on August 1, 2023, in the vicinity of Demirşeyh village in the Sungurlu district of Çorum. According to the information obtained, villagers who saw a woman lying motionless in a bushy area by the roadside reported the situation to the gendarmerie and medical teams.

Medical teams arriving at the scene shortly after determined that Gülten Ataklı, who had been shot in the head and chest, had lost her life. The gendarmerie teams, who launched an investigation into the incident, determined that Gülten Ataklı was murdered by her husband, Mürsel Ataklı, with whom she was in the process of divorcing.

The murder suspect, who was determined to be a police officer at the Samsun Provincial Security Directorate, was caught and taken into custody in the Havza district of Samsun. Mürsel Ataklı was arrested and sent to prison.

DECISION REACHED REGARDING THE DEFENDANT

A verdict has been reached regarding the detained defendant Mürsel Ataklı in the case filed against him at the Sungurlu High Criminal Court. The court panel sentenced Mürsel Ataklı to 24 years in prison.

Reacting to the verdict after the hearing, Gülten Ataklı's family stated that the court panel reduced the aggravated life sentence to 24 years on the grounds that it was unclear who had initiated the argument.

Gülten Ataklı's family, who appealed the decision after the court, said that another decision that shocked them was that the custody of Gülten Ataklı's 11-year-old son was given to the murder suspect's family.

“I HAVE NOT SEEN MY NEPHEW FOR 10 MONTHS”

Gülten Ataklı's sister Sultan Kızılkoca stated that they have not been able to see her sister's son for 10 months, saying, “For 10 months, we have not been able to embrace my sister's son, 11-year-old Ali. I applied to the court to be his guardian. My applications were approved. The child, who was staying in an orphanage in Samsun, changed psychologically.

His paternal grandmother also constantly visited him. The child later started to change towards me, saying, ‘I don't want you.’ I had prepared everything for him, from his private school to his room. I also presented this to the court. Even though there were no records indicating that the child did not love his father, they brainwashed the child and pulled him to that side. The court approved this, and the child is currently staying at his paternal grandmother's house. I have not seen my nephew for 10 months. We have lost Ali, who was my sister's legacy,” she said.

“WHILE WE WERE EXPECTING AN EXEMPLARY SENTENCE, THE JUDGE GAVE A REDUCTION WITHOUT JUSTIFICATION”

Gülten Ataklı's sister Canan Kızılkoca also stated that the application of a sentence reduction for the defendant was unacceptable, saying, “While we were expecting an exemplary sentence, the judge gave a reduction without justification. A reduction was applied to a murderer who showed no good conduct or remorse. We cannot accept this decision. I am calling out to the authorities from here. Hear our voice. We will seek justice until the end,” she said.

News Source: İHA