Aggravated life sentence requested for MHP District Chair who killed party official

In Ankara's Pursaklar district, on April 29, 2023, Ferhat Özcan, a former provincial official of the MHP, was shot and killed with a handgun at his workplace by MHP Pursaklar District Chair Mehmet Ersin Ekinci.

Following reports from those who heard the gunshots, numerous police and medical teams were dispatched to the scene. While Özcan lost his life at the scene despite the intervention of medical teams, Ekinci, who committed the murder, surrendered to the police. The suspect was arrested by the criminal judgeship of peace after his procedures at the police station.

“SHE SAID SHE DID NOT WANT ME TO SEE FERHAT ÖZCAN”

The investigation initiated by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has been completed. In his statement included in the indictment, Ekinci stated that he and the victim, Özcan, had been friends since childhood. Stating that he had introduced Özcan to his former girlfriend, F.S., Ekinci said, "F.S., whom I met in 2017 and later became lovers with and then broke up with, told me at that time that she did not want me to see Ferhat.

When I asked why, she said she did not like Ferhat's behavior. At the beginning of 2023, we took a break from our relationship with F.S., but we were still seeing each other. Since F.S. was advertising insurance on her social media account, Ferhat reached out to her and she started doing insurance work for him. I learned this from a message that came to her phone when I was in the same environment as F.S.

F.S. told me that Ferhat had opened an office in Sincan and that she had started working there. I saw a post on F.S.'s social media account. There was a flower on the front of the vehicle, and she was filming the road from the passenger seat. The vehicle in front looked like Ferhat's car. I called F.S., and she said some things to me.

A while later, Ferhat called me and asked where I was, and I told him. A vehicle with 3 people, including Ferhat, cut me off, and I stopped to avoid an accident. Ferhat started hitting me, and those with him took the gun I had on me and forced me into my car.

I stopped at a gas station and saw Ferhat and F.S.'s vehicle. Ferhat called me again and started swearing. Thinking they were following me, I followed them as well.

When I stopped where they were, the people who took my gun forced me into my car again and told me I should leave. Ferhat called me again and said, 'I have your gun, come and get it if you're a man.' I went in front of Ferhat's house to get my gun. Because the gun belonged to my father, I wanted to get it so that if something happened, it would not happen to my father.

I rang Ferhat's doorbell, but no one opened it. When he went out to the balcony, I saw he had a rifle in his hand. He told me, 'I will lay you out on the asphalt.' I left there and went to my office, and I slept. I had a gun in the office; I took it and went to Ferhat's house. At the door, I only asked for my father's gun. When he started swearing, I responded in kind.

When he made a move toward the inside, I pulled the gun from my waistband, fired, and fled the house. After 1-2 hours, when I came to my senses, I surrendered to the police," he said.

The indictment stated that 7 firearm bullet wounds were detected on the body of the victim, Ferhat Özcan, 5 of which were fatal. It was also noted that the suspect Ekinci's time spent entering and exiting the house in question was approximately 4 minutes.

An aggravated life sentence for the crime of 'premeditated murder' and up to 3 years in prison for the crime of 'carrying an unlicensed weapon' were requested for Mehmet Ersin Ekinci. The prepared indictment was accepted by the Ankara 1st High Criminal Court.