28.01.2026 13:30
Last year, Ali Eren Somun, who killed his wife Sinem Somun during their divorce proceedings in Trabzon, sent a letter from prison to the young woman's grandfather. In the letter, Somun stated, "My condolences. I was devastated when I received the news of her death. I will bury my wife in her own land, where she came joyfully. I will do whatever the legal process requires for this. Even if it is not possible, I will risk committing a crime to bury my wife in my own land. No matter how the world turns upside down or if the sun in the sky goes out, I will not give up on this wish."
Ali Eren Somun (30), who killed his wife Sinem Somun (27) during their divorce process and injured a neighborhood watchman, has been charged with four offenses, facing aggravated life imprisonment and up to 25 years in prison. It has also emerged that Ali Eren Somun sent a letter from the prison where he is held to Sinem's grandfather, Ali Hayri Topaloğlu. In the letter, he expressed his condolences, saying, "I was devastated when I received the news of her death," and stated that he wanted to take his wife's body from Giresun, where she was buried, to his hometown of Trabzon for burial, which doubled the family's grief.
The incident occurred on July 31, 2025, in the Adacık neighborhood of Beşikdüzü district. Ali Eren Somun, who had a restraining order against him, climbed in through the back balcony and argued with his wife Sinem Somun, who was in the process of divorce after two years of marriage. As the argument escalated, neighbors heard the commotion and alerted the watchmen outside. During the ensuing struggle, Ali Eren Somun shot his wife with a gun. Sinem Somun, who was shot in the leg and back, collapsed to the ground in a pool of blood. The fleeing suspect also fired at a watchman who had arrived at the scene, hitting the on-duty watchman E. E. in the leg.
BURIED IN GİRESUN
While the attacker fled on a motorcycle, Sinem Somun and the injured watchman were taken to the hospital after the first intervention by medical teams. Sinem Somun could not be saved, while the watchman, who underwent surgery, was discharged after treatment. Sinem Somun, who graduated from Mersin University with a degree in Ship Transportation and was preparing to start her captaincy on the ship she worked on just 10 days after the incident, was buried in Giresun amid tears.
CAUGHT IN THE FOREST
After the incident, the suspect Ali Eren Somun, who cut his hair, beard, and eyebrows to avoid recognition, was caught in a tent in the forest in Sinop, where he had fled on a motorcycle. In his statement, he said, "I wanted to talk to her face to face, but she didn't want to. That night, I went to her house. We argued about the divorce case, I lost control, and I couldn't manage my nerves. I realized what I had done afterward." The suspect was arrested by the judge at the courthouse where he was brought.
WENT HOME WITH 54 BULLETS ON THE DAY OF THE INCIDENT
The investigation conducted by the prosecutor's office against the detained suspect Ali Eren Somun has been completed. The indictment prepared against him, seeking aggravated life imprisonment and up to 25 years in prison for the offenses of 'premeditated murder of a spouse', 'repeated threats', 'attempted murder of a person due to the performance of a public duty', and 'possession of a firearm without a license', has been accepted by the Trabzon 2nd High Criminal Court. The indictment stated that the suspect entered the house three hours before his wife with a gun and 54 bullets on the day of the incident and began to wait.
WROTE 'SİNEM' WITH BULLETS
In the examination of the suspect's mobile phone, it was found that he had arranged bullets to spell 'Sinem' before the incident. The prosecutor's office noted in the indictment that the suspect's ultimate goal was to kill Sinem, and that the intent to kill, clearly demonstrated by social media posts, was realized with elements of premeditation, persistence, and unconditional decision.
SENT A LETTER TO SINEM'S FAMILY
It has emerged that Ali Eren Somun, who will appear before the judge for the first time on February 13, sent a letter to Sinem's grandfather, Ali Hayri Topaloğlu, from the prison in Elazığ where he is held. In the letter, it was learned that Ali Eren Somun expressed his desire to take his wife's body from Giresun, where she was buried, to his hometown of Trabzon for burial.
"I WILL NOT GIVE UP ON THIS WISH EVEN IF THE WORLD TURNS UPSIDE DOWN"
In the two-page letter, he wrote, "I am sorry for your loss. I was devastated when I received the news of her death. It took me a long time to come to terms with it. I keep asking myself, 'How did this happen?' May God give us patience and strength to endure. I will not speak a single lie in court. Whatever my crime is, I am ready to serve my sentence. But know this, I will bury my wife in my homeland where she came joyfully. I will do whatever the legal process requires for this. Even if it is impossible, I will risk committing a crime to bury my wife in my own land. I will not give up on this wish, even if the world turns upside down or the sun in the sky goes out. You can come to my open visit; may God's mercy and blessings be upon you. I hope to meet again in free days, goodbye."
"HE IS THREATENING US"
Gülnaz Topaloğlu, the grandmother of Sinem Topaloğlu, who lives in Eynesil district of Giresun, spoke about the letter from the suspect Ali Eren Somun in prison. Speaking at her granddaughter's grave, Topaloğlu said, "He did everything consciously. In the end, he sent us a letter from prison as if he had done nothing. He is threatening us. He says he will remove the grave and 'I will take her to the village where she came joyfully, even if the sun in the sky touches the ground.' What kind of behavior is this? I want him to receive the heaviest punishment. He should get life imprisonment; I will never withdraw my complaint. He is there eating and drinking. He even has open visits. I go home crying after looking at the grave," she said.
"HE IS INVITING US TO OPEN VISITS"
Gülnaz Topaloğlu stated that Ali Eren Somun, who is in prison, invited them to open visits in his letter, saying, "I absolutely do not accept this."
He says, "Come to the open meeting." He says, "You can come to the open meeting because you are my wife's family." He is literally threatening us. You have destroyed this family. You have messed with our psychology, and now you are writing a letter to disturb our psychology again. He is going to bring the grave to his own village. It is not the job of a brave man to remove a grave from here. This is Ören village; this grave cannot be moved from here. I want him to receive a separate punishment for this. After Sinem died, my spouse started suffering from Alzheimer's disease. He also wrote and sent the letter to my spouse. I took the letter from him so that he wouldn't write a response and gave it to the lawyer. I am ready to do anything for my child. I am also afraid he might escape from prison and come here. My grandchild died; my heart is broken," he said.