From the defense of the defendant who shot and killed his wife and daughter: 'I was going to shoot him in the foot, but she wouldn't stop talking'

Defendant Seydi Şahin, who was arrested for shooting and killing his estranged wife Nazime Şahin and daughter Fatmanur Şahin in Bayrampaşa on May 30, appeared in court.

The hearing held at the Istanbul 35th High Criminal Court was attended by the detained defendant Seydi Şahin, the complainant children of the deceased Nazime Şahin, the lawyers for both parties, and a lawyer from the Ministry of Family and Social Services. Fatma Şahin's other complainant daughter, Emine Şahin, joined the hearing via the Audio and Visual Information System (SEGBİS).

“I THOUGHT MY ANGER WOULD SUBSIDE, BUT IT DIDN'T”

In his defense at the hearing, defendant Şahin stated that he and his wife were in the process of getting a divorce and said, "I withdrew the lawsuit at my daughter's request.

On the day of the incident, my wife spoke to me on the phone using insulting language. We argued. My hands were shaking from anger, and my daughter was with us. I went to her with a pistol I bought from a Syrian person in 2018. I thought she would get scared and hang up the phone, stop talking, be afraid, and my anger would subside, but that didn't happen. I was going to shoot her in the foot, but she didn't stop talking when she saw me, so I turned my face to the side and fired a few shots.

My son lived two streets away; I went to his house, explained the situation, and said I would surrender. I explained the incident to the police station chief and said I would surrender.

I explained the incident to the police station chief and handed over the weapon I had on my waist. I did not sign any documents at the police station. I stayed in the detention cell for one night, then I was referred to the courthouse. Afterward, I entered prison and have been detained for four months. My daughter and my wife were not side by side at the moment of the incident. We were in a small room when the incident happened, and I fired there,” he said.

“I WANT HIM TO BE EXECUTED”

Complainant Emine Şahin, who joined the hearing via SEGBİS, stated, “I want the murderer to be executed. He was neither a father nor a husband to my mother and us. He got that gun from my uncle İ. He was constantly threatening my mother with a gun.

My sister's face was destroyed by bullet wounds. My mother didn't see a single happy day. Everything he says is a lie. My sister was a teacher. He left us motherless. I became unable to speak from anger. I don't want him to get out of prison. What does eight bullets mean?” she said.

The complainant's lawyer requested that the defendant be removed from the courtroom on the grounds that the complainants did not want to testify in the presence of the defendant. Evaluating this request, the court removed the defendant from the courtroom and then brought the complainants in.

“HE TOLD ME HE HAD FOUGHT WITH MY MOTHER, HIT HER ON THE HEAD, AND TOLD ME TO CALL AN AMBULANCE”

Nazime Şahin's son, A.Ş., who is a police officer, said, “I was on duty on the day of the incident; I was going to sleep. The doorbell rang around 12:30. I opened the door and saw the person. He was very calm. I called my sister twice, but she didn't answer. The person asked me for the Bayrampaşa Police Station. When I asked what happened, he told me he had fought with my mother, hit her on the head, and told me to call an ambulance. I went to the house and knocked on the window, but no one opened it. I called my mother and Fatmanur, but they didn't answer. A police vehicle came in front of the house. The door of the house was broken down. When I asked the police there, they told me that both of them were dead,” he said.

“HE WAS APPLYING PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL VIOLENCE”

Nazime Şahin's other son, complainant Müslüm Şahin, stated in his testimony, “My brother called on the day of the incident and said my father had gone to the police station. I told him to calm my father down. My mother was an earthquake survivor; because she wasn't very healthy, I thought they had left their phones at home and gone to the hospital. When my brother said they were dead, I lost myself. They didn't have a very healthy marriage. My father was applying both physical and psychological violence to all of us. My brother has been a police officer for 13-14 years. This person would beat us and kick us out of the house every two or three months,” he said.

“HE USED TO BEAT ME WITH A HAMMER”

Complainant Zeynep Şahin said, “I remember my mother with a bloody face since I was little. We always grew up in this environment. My mother always endured it for our sake, because of financial difficulties. He was constantly applying violence to my mother. He hit my mother with a rolling pin, and then he shattered the rolling pin on my head. We could never go home; we were on the streets. We were not given the right to live at home. Once, we were left alone for three months. He would lock me in a room because I was making noise and threaten me not to make noise. I was going to commit suicide on the terrace. This man enjoyed causing pain. I was the second target after my mother; he used to beat me with a hammer. We didn't file a complaint because we were afraid he would do something to our mother or us. He got the gun he used to kill my mother from an uncle who has connections with terrorists,” she said.

THE COMPLAINANTS LEFT THE COURTROOM WHEN THE DEFENDANT WAS BROUGHT BACK IN

The complainant's lawyer requested that the defendant be sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment separately for the crimes of 'intentional killing of a spouse' and 'intentional killing of a descendant,' stating that they did not accept the claim that he killed his daughter by mistake.

The defendant's lawyer, who presented the defense, claimed that his client had no bad intentions until the moment of the incident, that he did not act by targeting his child, and that his client was not of sound mind.

The public prosecutor, whose opinion was asked, requested the continuation of the defendant Şahin's detention on the grounds that there was strong evidence that he had committed the crime he was charged with. Announcing its interim decision, the court panel ruled for the continuation of defendant Seydi Şahin's detention and adjourned the hearing to complete the deficiencies.

FROM THE INDICTMENT

The indictment prepared by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office stated that an investigation was launched after Fatma and Nazime Şahin were shot and killed in Bayrampaşa on May 30. In the indictment, which included the statement of defendant Seydi Şahin, it was reported that he confessed to killing his wife and daughter. The indictment, which included the autopsy report, stated that Nazmiye Şahin had a firearm wound on her left cheek, Fatmanur Şahin had a bullet wound on her face, and that the victims had gunshot wounds on their heads, and it was determined that they died at the scene as a result of the defendant firing with an unlicensed weapon he had with him. In the prepared indictment, it was requested that defendant Seydi Şahin be sentenced to 2 counts of aggravated life imprisonment and 1 to 3 years in prison for the crimes of 'intentional killing of a relative from the lower lineage', 'intentional killing of a spouse', and 'purchasing, carrying, or possessing unlicensed firearms and ammunition'.