Requested sentences for suspects in liquor store murder case revealed

In Esenyurt, the investigation into the liquor store murder in July, which resulted in the deaths of Yunus Emre Erzen and Batuhan Bayındır, has been completed and the indictment has been prepared.

INDICTMENT COMPLETED

The indictment, prepared by the Büyükçekmece Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and sent to the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, describes the incident that took place on July 28 at approximately 23:20 at a business named Baray Tekel-Gold Park Delicatessen on Mehmet Akif Ersoy Street in the Güzelyurt neighborhood of Esenyurt. The indictment states that during an argument between the parties, Yunus Emre Erzen was wounded by 8 gunshots and lost his life, while Batuhan Bayındır was wounded by 2 gunshots and died. The indictment also notes that the complainant Yusuf Erzen and the suspect Murat Özer were wounded in various parts of their bodies.

DEBT DISPUTE CITED AS MOTIVE

The investigation revealed that there was a dispute over debt between the company of the deceased Yunus Emre Erzen's father, Cantürk Erzen, and the companies of the suspects Murat, Tarık, and Servet Özer. Social media posts containing insults made before the murder were also included in the case file. The indictment states that after the suspects Murat and Tarık Özer initiated enforcement proceedings against the complainant Cantürk Erzen on the day of the incident, Cantürk Erzen shared the payment order from the enforcement proceedings on his WhatsApp status, addressing the suspects Samet, Murat, and Tarık Özer. It was noted that the posts contained insulting and threatening expressions.

Following the WhatsApp status update, it was recorded that the suspects Murat and Tarık Özer took Azat Özer with them and also called the suspect Servet Özer—who had previously been intentionally wounded by gunfire by Mehmet Erzen—by phone, and went to the liquor store by vehicle. The indictment states that at that time, the complainant Cantürk Erzen's son, the deceased Yunus Emre Erzen, his relative Yusuf Erzen, and their friend Batuhan Bayındır, who had no connection to the dispute, were at the liquor store.

MOMENT OF THE INCIDENT ADDED TO THE INDICTMENT

The indictment records that the suspects Murat, Tarık, and Azat Özer entered the liquor store together, and a short while later, the suspect Servet Özer entered the store. It is also stated in the indictment that Murat Özer asked the deceased Yunus Emre to call his father, and that the deceased did not want to call his father and asked why they had come. It was recorded that during the conversation, Murat Özer put pressure on the deceased Yunus Emre Erzen by grabbing and squeezing his shoulder, and that the deceased asked the suspect to take his hand off his shoulder and pushed the suspect's hand away.

BROKE A GLASS BOTTLE ON HIS HEAD

The indictment records that Murat Özer grabbed the deceased Yunus Emre Erzen by the throat, pushed him hard against a shelf behind him filled with glass bottles, and struck the deceased Yunus Emre hard on the head with a full glass bottle he had picked up, causing the bottle to break.

DECEASED FIRED AT THE SUSPECT'S FOOT

The indictment explains that during the struggle, it was seen that the suspect Murat had a gun behind his waist, and at this moment, the deceased Yunus Emre took a gun from under the counter and fired approximately two shots toward the feet of the suspect Murat Özer. It was also recorded that with the initial intervention of the suspect Murat, the suspect Tarık walked toward the deceased Batuhan Bayındır and the complainant Yusuf Erzen, putting them under pressure and preventing them from helping the deceased Yunus Emre Erzen.

FIRED AT THE DECEASED'S ABDOMEN

The indictment states that the suspect Murat Özer tried to take the gun from the hand of the deceased Yunus Emre Erzen, and at this moment, the suspect Azat Özer took a mobile phone from the counter and struck the deceased Yunus Emre on the head hard multiple times. It was stated in the indictment that Servet, Azat, and Murat Özer struck the deceased Yunus Emre Erzen multiple times with full glass bottles and tried to restrain him. The indictment recounts that upon the suspect Murat Özer being wounded in the foot by gunfire and the suspect Azat Özer shouting "Father," Tarık Özer fired approximately 5 shots toward the abdominal region of the deceased Yunus Emre Erzen, who had fallen to the ground, while the other suspects, Azat and Murat, restrained Yunus Emre.

FIRE WAS ALSO OPENED ON OTHER PEOPLE IN THE LIQUOR STORE

The indictment records that Servet and Azat Özer restrained the deceased Batuhan Bayındır and the complainant Yusuf Erzen, while the suspect Tarık fired approximately 4 shots at the deceased Batuhan and the complainant Yusuf, then turned and fired again at the deceased Yunus Emre. The indictment explains that it is clearly visible from camera footage that the suspects Murat, Tarık, Azat, and Servet Özer left the scene rapidly and fired into the air as they departed.

DECEASED'S FAMILY WITHDREW COMPLAINT AFTER RECEIVING COMPENSATION

The indictment also describes how, after the incident, the suspects Murat, Tarık, Azat, and Servet Özer went to the hospital to have the wounded suspect Murat Özer treated, and that the suspects Tarık, Azat, and Servet Özer fled the hospital before law enforcement arrived. On the other hand, it was explained in the indictment that the mother, father, and sister of the deceased Batuhan Bayındır declared that they had received their material and moral compensation and withdrew their complaints.

The indictment requests that the suspects Tarık, Murat, Azat, and Servet Özer be sentenced to one aggravated life imprisonment, one life imprisonment, and 16 years and 6 months to 31 years and 9 months in prison for the crimes of 'premeditated murder with blood feud motive,' 'intentional murder,' 'attempted premeditated murder with blood feud motive,' 'armed threat by more than one person,' and violation of Law No. 6136. It was requested that 5 other suspects be sentenced to prison terms of varying lengths.

News Source: İHA