Released after 3 months: New development in the suspicious death of Pınar Bulunmaz!

News: Sinem Nazlı Demir

Pınar Bulunmaz lost her life after being shot following an argument with her husband, Rıdvan Bulunmaz, on February 22, 2024, in the Hamidiye neighborhood of Siverek, Şanlıurfa. Pınar's body was handed over to her relatives following an autopsy at the hospital morgue.

Local news sources reported Pınar's death to the national press as "woman murdered in Şanlıurfa," but the incident later began to be referred to as a "suspicious death." It was alleged that the gun went off suddenly during the fight, causing Pınar's death. Pınar's family, however, initiated a comprehensive struggle for justice, believing that Pınar was killed by her husband, Rıdvan Bulunmaz.

7 PEOPLE DETAINED REGARDING PINAR'S DEATH

In the first weeks following the incident, 7 people were detained. Six of the detained suspects were released under judicial control conditions.

Defendant Rıdvan Bulunmaz stated in his statement to law enforcement, in summary, that he did not commit murder, that he and Pınar Bulunmaz were arguing, that Pınar Bulunmaz left the house and ran away, that he started following Pınar Bulunmaz, then caught her, put her in the vehicle, and they talked in the vehicle, and that he then put the vehicle in reverse, at which point Pınar Bulunmaz held the gun to her right chest and fired it.

In his statement to the prosecutor's office, Rıdvan Bulunmaz said, 'Pınar Bulunmaz and he both used their right hands, he usually carried the gun himself, the gun held 13+1 rounds, but the gun was not cocked, and the magazine was completely full.'

Following his statement, Rıdvan Bulunmaz was arrested on February 23 by the Siverek Criminal Court of Peace on charges of "intentional killing of a spouse."

In a report prepared by the Diyarbakır Regional Criminal Police Laboratory Directorate on March 11, gunshot residue was detected on Rıdvan Bulunmaz's left hand.

RIDVAN BULUNMAZ RELEASED AFTER 3 MONTHS

During the investigation phase, after a witness living at the scene of the incident testified, "After Pınar sat in the passenger seat, as the vehicle was about to move, I saw Pınar, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, point the gun at herself with her right hand," defendant Rıdvan Bulunmaz was released on June 11, approximately 3 months after his arrest, by the decision of the Siverek Criminal Court of Peace with the measure of house arrest (not leaving the residence).

APPEALS AGAINST THE DEFENDANT'S RELEASE WERE REJECTED

In a BTK (Information and Communication Technologies Authority) report obtained regarding whether the suspect had contact with the suspect's family members before the witness's statement, it was also determined that one of the suspect's family members had spoken to the witness 12 times by phone a very short time before the testimony. Appeals made by Pınar Bulunmaz's family through their lawyers against the Siverek Criminal Court of Peace's decision were rejected.

In the statement made by the local court regarding the rejection of the appeal against Rıdvan Bulunmaz's release, the following expressions were included:

"It was stated that no impropriety was seen in the decision made regarding the release of suspect Rıdvan Bulunmaz and that the decision was in accordance with procedure and law."

THE DEFENDANT'S JUDICIAL CONTROL MEASURE WAS ALSO LIFTED ON OCTOBER 24

On the other hand, the appeal made by the Siverek Chief Public Prosecutor's Office against the release decision was rejected by the Siverek 3rd Criminal Court of First Instance on the grounds that "there was no change in the state of evidence, no impropriety was seen in the Siverek Criminal Court of Peace's release decision, and the decision was in accordance with procedure or law."

The Siverek Criminal Court of Peace lifted the "judicial control measure of not leaving the residence" imposed on the defendant on October 24 and ordered a judicial control measure of signing in on certain days of the week. Therefore, the house arrest decision given for Rıdvan Bulunmaz was also lifted shortly after.

PINAR'S DEATH BROUGHT TO THE PARLIAMENT AGENDA

DEM Party Urfa MP Dilan Kunt Ayan brought Pınar's death to the Parliament's agenda. Pointing out that the indictment has still not been prepared despite 10 months having passed since the incident, Ayan asked Minister of Justice Yılmaz Tunç the following questions about the file in a written motion submitted to the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey:

"Why has the investigation opened regarding the suspicious death of Pınar Bulunmaz not been concluded for 10 months?

On what grounds was the man named Rıdvan Bulunmaz, who is under investigation for the crime of 'intentional killing of a spouse,' released within 3 months despite strong suspicion of crime, collected evidence, and being the only suspect in the file?

Why was the fact that a single witness statement was shown as the justification for Rıdvan Bulunmaz's release, and that there were 12 phone calls between this witness and the perpetrator's family, not taken into account by the Civil Court of Peace?"

A NEW DEVELOPMENT IN THE FILE:

At the end of an investigation lasting almost a year, a lawsuit was filed against the defendant Rıdvan Bulunmaz by the Siverek 2nd High Criminal Court within the scope of the crime of "intentional killing of a spouse."

Speaking to 12punto, Pınar's brother, Erdal Sevim, said that the fact that they are now at a point where the court cannot ignore the concrete evidence has had an effect on this new development.

Sevim spoke as follows regarding this concrete evidence:

"The fact that swap residue was found on the left hand of both the defendant and my sister, despite both of them being right-handed, was an important factor. Another is the determination through HTS records that the witness, who caused the defendant's release, had 12 phone conversations with one of the family members. The defendant's statement and the witness's statement also contradict each other. In addition, the number of bullets detected in the magazine in the crime scene investigation report is stated as 10. However, 12 bullets went to the criminal examination; we want this contradiction to be taken into account by the court panel. Although 2 bullets are missing according to the crime scene investigation report, it was ignored in the indictment. Another situation that was ignored is that we want the fact that the defendant caused death by losing time by going home instead of notifying 112 health teams or security forces after the incident to be taken into account."

PINAR'S BROTHER: HE LEFT PINAR IN THE CAR AND WASHED HIS HANDS

Erdal Sevim pointed out the importance of public support and stated that they want the defendant to receive the punishment he deserves as a result of this case thanks to the public's reaction. Sevim also said that defendant Rıdvan Bulunmaz should be sentenced to life imprisonment for the crime of "intentional killing of a spouse" and that public support should continue without diminishing.

"THE CASE MUST BE HEARD WITHOUT IGNORING CONCRETE EVIDENCE"

Pınar's brother pointed out the hearing date and stated that Pınar's death should be kept on the agenda through the press:

"As a brother who lost his sister, I want this case to be heard without ignoring the concrete evidence. Our hearing will be held on February 12, 2025, at 09:15 at the Siverek 2nd High Criminal Court."

News Source: 12punto