First statement from the Aci family following the hearing of Eylem Tok and her son

Eylem Tok and her 17-year-old son, T.C., allegedly caused the death of Oğuz Murat Aci (29) on March 1, 2024, in Kemerburgaz, when the luxury car they were in struck individuals who had pulled their broken-down ATV to the side of the road. Following the incident, Eylem Tok fled with her son to Egypt and subsequently to the US. 

Approximately 3.5 months after the incident, the mother and son, for whom a red notice had been issued, were apprehended in the US.

Yesterday, the court in the US decided to continue the detention of both the mother and her son, postponing their hearings to June 20. Following the hearing, the mother of the deceased, Pervin Aci, and his father, Özer Aci, spoke for the first time.

“EYLEM TOK IS VERY CUNNING'

The grieving mother, Pervin Aci, stated that Eylem Tok had enrolled her son, T.C., in a school in the US, saying, "She is enrolling her child in school, trying to settle there. She thinks, 'I can manage here until he is 21-22.' Why would that child enroll in a school in Boston? The child is a US citizen anyway; Eylem Tok is very cunning. When that child is in class, where will his mind be? It will be on my son," she said.

"TURKS WERE THERE FOR ME"

Stating that she could not kiss her son's hand during the holiday, mother Pervin Aci said, "I could not be happy during the holiday; I was always sad, it passed with tears, but all of Turkey celebrated my holiday, the whole world celebrated it, and I was very pleased with this. I thank everyone very much.

First of all, I express my endless gratitude to our Minister of Justice, our President, Mr. Kürşat, and all the mentioned Ministers.

Yesterday, I understood very well that Turks in America were there for me; they traveled for hours, I thank them all. Eylem Tok looked to her left and right; she has no one but her lawyer. Let her worry now; all of Turkey is with me," she said.

EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT HAPPENED

The grieving father, Özer Aci, stated that Eylem Tok had a disagreement with her lawyer but noted that under the US system, she does not have the right to change lawyers, adding, "She can change her lawyer, it doesn't matter.

In the end, a criminal is a criminal. Everyone and the public know that she brutally seized phones, did not call an ambulance, and did not help the injured, and that my son died because of this.

Eventually, we will explain this to American justice in some way. They will also understand; where she made a mistake and why she is being tried will emerge. I think they will most likely be extradited later," he expressed.

"IT IS THE RESULT OF MY EFFORTS"

Father Özer Aci said they knew that the conditions in juvenile detention centers in the US were not good and that they had requested a transfer to a better place, but that this was rejected by the judge, adding, "I was not alone; I was not in the case, but there were people representing me. Days after this situation, our hearts were somewhat eased.

The continuation of their detention pleased us. These are a beginning; they will see what they will go through. I am not alone; I was patient. Besides being patient, I worked, I struggled. I researched, 'What can I do regarding my case?'

I tried every way to reach the results and my goal. Of course, my state is by my side. Even the fact that the red notice yielded results after 3 and a half months is the result of my state, my nation, and at the same time my efforts. It is the pressure of public opinion; otherwise, looking at the past, it was an event where it seemed impossible for a red notice to yield results in such a short time.

Our state was truly by our side; our Minister of Justice was always by our side. We spoke again yesterday; thank God, he said that they were following the case closely, that they were interested, and that I should not worry, and he celebrated my holiday. He was responding regardless of the circumstances. At least we felt that he shared our pain. I knew he would continue to make us feel that," he said.

“I WILL NOT GIVE UP"

Stating that he never said, "I have made this a public issue anyway," and sat back, father Aci said, "I worked; when I had free time, I cried, I made an effort. My wife and I discussed what we could do one by one. 'Who can we call, what can we say, will they answer the phone, will they not, will they respond, will they not?' But it happens when you want it. We reached our goal to some extent. From this point on, they will be tried either there or here; this is a beginning, the first stage. We will follow this case; I will not give up, I will not back down," he expressed.

"EVEN IF I DIE, IT WILL BE FOLLOWED BY SOMEONE"

Stating that Eylem Tok made a great effort for them to give up, father Aci said, "Even though these three and a half months seem very long to us, this is a very short time. Even if I die, this case will be followed by someone. I believe in this infinitely now. Because hundreds of people came to follow my case in yesterday's hearing. She looked left and right in those orange-red clothes, 'I wonder if there is anyone I know or not,' but when she encountered thousands of people trying to look her in the eye with anger and hatred, I think she was shocked; this is her first shock. I will cause many more shocks," he said.

“HER CHILD WAS A MOTHER'S BOY, BUT..."

Saying that Eylem Tok's son, T.C., who caused the accident, was a "mother's boy" and never left her side, father Özer Aci said, "Her child was a mother's boy and never left her side, but today is the fourth day, they were left alone. Let's see how many more days they will be left alone; then I will speak. She will learn after a while how much evil she did to her child, but it will be too late," he stated.