He murdered 12-year-old Meryem! The suspect has appeared in court

The trial of Zekeriyya Ali (51), who entered an apartment on the ground floor of a 5-story building in Bağcılar in January and attacked Meryem Samou (12) and her brother Ahmet S. (5) with a stone, has begun.

In the attack, 12-year-old Meryem lost her life, and her 5-year-old brother was injured.

The indictment prepared by the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office requested that the defendant be sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment and an additional prison term ranging from 14 to 21 years.

The defendant, who had confessed to the murder to the police, denied the charges during the hearing. The court decided to continue the defendant's detention.

The next hearing of the case was adjourned to December 16, 2025, at 14:30.

Lawyers Sevda Demirtaş and Özge Fındık from the Association of Children and Women First, who followed the case, made the following statement:

"Today, we were at the Bakırköy Courthouse for 12-year-old Meryem Samou, who was brutally murdered in Bağcılar on January 13, 2025. The first hearing of the trial regarding the murder of Meryem Samou lasted approximately 3 hours. Immediately after the act of killing, the defendant had accepted his crime and described the event in detail in his statement given at the Police Department in the presence of an interpreter and a lawyer. However, although he denied the crime during his interrogation at the Criminal Judgeship of Peace and at today's hearing, there is much evidence in the file proving the defendant's guilt. At today's hearing, we requested the expansion of the investigation and the resolution of missing issues. The hearing was adjourned to 16.12.2025 for the deficiencies to be addressed.

We all know that the murder of Meryem is not an isolated incident but a social problem and a sign of decay. As an association, we will continue to fight for the resolution of this problem, for the prevention of child murders, child abuse, and all forms of violence directed at children. We will continue to be in the field to ensure the effective implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Child Protection Law, the Lanzarote Convention, and all other relevant legislation in crimes against children. We thank the Lawyers' Voice Initiative, who attended the hearing and were the voice and support for Meryem and her grieving family."


According to information obtained by 12punto, 51-year-old suspect Zekeriyya Ali conducted reconnaissance before murdering Meryem and used gloves during the incident. It was also learned that Ali, who said "I murdered her for money" in his statement to the police, had known Meryem's family for 12 years.

News Source: 12punto