'My first wife hanged herself,' he had said; his second wife was also found dead in the same way: Suspect faces judge

The defendant, who claimed his first wife hanged herself and whose second wife was found dead in the same way, has appeared before a judge once again. 

Testifying as a witness in the trial of İsmet Bingöl, Abdullah Bingöl stated, "The next person he will kill is his own daughter, H. He took his daughter out of school. The reason is the girl's physical development. The same thing happened with his first wife. The entire setup he created is the same. The whole scenario is just like the death of his first wife."

In the incident that occurred in Bakırköy on July 24, 2023, Vesile Bingöl was found dead, hanging from a rope in the home she shared with her husband. The investigation conducted by the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding the incident was completed, and an indictment was prepared. While the indictment did not charge İsmet Bingöl with 'intentional killing,' it requested a sentence of 4 to 10 years for 'incitement to suicide' and 3 to 8 years for 'torture against a spouse.' On the other hand, the indictment noted that İsmet Bingöl, whose first wife also died by suicide, had been acquitted in that case due to a lack of concrete evidence.

TRIAL CONTINUES

 The non-custodial defendant İsmet Bingöl was present via the SEGBİS video conferencing system at the hearing held at the Bakırköy 4th High Criminal Court. The family of the deceased, Vesile Bingöl, also attended the hearing.

In his statement at the hearing, Vesile Bingöl's father, Ferzende Bingöl, said, "I am a complainant; if the defendant falls into my hands, I will not let him go."

"MY LIFE IS OVER"

Vesile Bingöl's brother, witness Şaban Bingöl, stated, "I believe the incident was an intentional killing. He is my cousin. Vesile used to say, 'İsmet took the keys. He doesn't let me go out.' The defendant was a jealous person. Even when he was wrong, he would try to appear right. Vesile couldn't even go downstairs because she didn't have the keys. On the day of the incident, I heard İsmet shouting, 'Şaban, run!' We live in the same building. When I looked, my sister was lying on the floor. I called 112 immediately. When I arrived, İsmet was fully dressed, down to his socks. I noticed the television volume was very high. İsmet was talking to himself. He was saying, 'I'm going to prison again, my life is over, what will I do?' He was constantly performing artificial respiration. It was as if he was preventing her from breathing. The other party had subjected my sister to violence many times. There wasn't even a chair on the floor. How could my sister have committed suicide? I didn't even see a stool on the day of the incident. İsmet Bingöl used to threaten Vesile by saying, 'I will harm your siblings.'"

"THERE WERE NO HANGING MARKS"

Witness Ümmügülsüm Bingöl said, "Vesile Bingöl was my sister-in-law. At the time of the incident, we lived in the same apartment building. On the day of the incident, we heard a voice saying, 'Şaban, run!' We looked into the house. Vesile was lying on the floor. İsmet was blaming himself. He was pressing on Vesile's stomach and heart. The children told us, 'My mother is dead.' The television was on. İsmet punched the television, but he hadn't called an ambulance. Vesile's body was still warm. There were no hanging marks on her neck," she stated.

"THE WHOLE SCENARIO IS LIKE THE DEATH OF HIS FIRST WIFE"

Witness Abdullah Bingöl said, "Vesile is my sister, and İsmet is my cousin. I know İsmet Bingöl's character. I will even give you the name of the next person he will kill. My sister came to us one day with her face and eyes bruised. I told her to tell us what happened, but Vesile didn't tell us anything. On the day of the incident, I received news. They said, 'Vesile was found hanging.' One day, İsmet asked for the keys. While she was lowering the keys, Vesile's arm was visible. Because of this, he beat my sister one day. The next person he will kill is his own daughter, H. He took his daughter out of school. The reason is the girl's physical development. The same thing happened with his first wife. The entire setup he created is the same. The whole scenario is just like the death of his first wife."

The defendant İsmet Bingöl's 11-year-old daughter from his first marriage, witness H.B., explained that she saw the deceased lying in the kitchen on the day of the incident, and that her father was in the kitchen and acting flustered. H.B. said, "There was no stool or chair in the kitchen. I just cried and was scared when I saw her like that."

Defendant İsmet Bingöl defended himself by saying, "Vesile tried to commit suicide 3 times before, and I saved her. Let the facts come to light."

In its interim decision, the court ruled that the defendant would continue to be tried without arrest and adjourned the hearing to address deficiencies.

FROM THE INDICTMENT

The indictment prepared by the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office stated that on July 24, 2023, a suicide report reached law enforcement units in Bakırköy and police officers went to the scene. It was also recorded in the indictment that the deceased, Vesile Bingöl, was placed into an ambulance already dead. Şaban Bingöl, who lived in the same apartment building as his sister Vesile Bingöl and whose statement was included in the indictment, said, "On the day of the incident, in the morning hours, İsmet Bingöl shouted, 'Şaban, run, run!' My sister was lying on the floor. The television volume was very high. İsmet Bingöl was fully dressed; he was not in his home clothes. İsmet Bingöl went to prison for killing his first wife. He would occasionally subject Vesile to violence."

The indictment also detailed the trial process regarding the death of İsmet Bingöl's first wife. The indictment stated, "Just as in this incident, when he woke up in the morning, he claimed he had argued with his first wife who passed away, and just as in this incident, he said his wife went to another room and committed suicide; again, just as in this incident, he claimed he had a nervous breakdown upon seeing his wife and called out to his relatives; and just as in this incident, it was stated that there was no concrete reason for the deceased to commit suicide, and an acquittal decision was given for İsmet Bingöl."

On the other hand, examinations conducted in the house indicated that the knot of the rope with which Vesile Bingöl allegedly hanged herself was loose, and that the knots should have become tight in a hanging situation. The report prepared by the Forensic Medicine Institute noted that there was no medical evidence that death occurred by any means other than hanging. The indictment stated that while there was an allegation that Vesile Bingöl did not hang herself but that her husband staged the incident as a suicide, "Ultimately, the scientific and unrefuted Forensic Medicine Institute report and the expert report presented it as 'suicide by hanging of the deceased'."

The public prosecutor announced that no concrete evidence had been reached that İsmet Bingöl killed his second wife after his first, and that it must be accepted that his second wife, Vesile Bingöl, also committed suicide. For this reason, a decision of non-prosecution was issued for the defendant İsmet Bingöl regarding the charge of 'intentional killing.' The indictment noted that İsmet Bingöl engaged in humiliating acts toward his wife Vesile Bingöl, subjected her to physical and psychological violence, fundamentally shook Vesile Bingöl's life due to the influence of drug use, and did not allow her to leave the house. The public prosecutor stated that it was claimed that İsmet Bingöl's first wife also committed suicide, and that his goal was to drive Vesile Bingöl to suicide, just as he had done with his first wife.

The prosecutor also stated that Vesile Bingöl was subjected to accusations of infidelity for no reason, adding, "İsmet Bingöl wanted his wife to die and drove her to that state of mind, and at the same time incited her to suicide through his systematic acts of torture." While no case was opened against İsmet Bingöl for 'intentional killing,' a sentence of 4 to 10 years for 'incitement to suicide' and 3 to 8 years for 'torture against a spouse' was requested.