05.09.2025 18:33
The trial of Hüseyin Sönmez, who killed siblings Umutcan and Melisa Şimşek by cutting their throats, has begun in Sivas. One of the neighbors who testified in court said, "Around 21:35, screams started to be heard. A girl was constantly shouting 'Don't do it' and there were sounds of someone banging on the door. These sounds continued until around 22:00. Later, I learned about the incident involving the victims."
On May 6 in Sivas, the trial of Hüseyin Sönmez (35), the suspect in the murder of siblings Umutcan (22) and Melisa Şimşek (16), who were found dead in their home with their hands tied and throats slit, began at the Sivas 4th High Criminal Court. Sönmez, who was transferred from Elazığ No. 1 High Security Prison to Elazığ Mental Health and Diseases Hospital, did not attend the hearing. The grandmother of the murdered children, Aniş Yücekaya, their mother Ayşegül Şimşek, along with their lawyers and witnesses were present in the courtroom.
"I WANT THE DEATH PENALTY"
Initially, Ayşegül Şimşek, the mother of Umutcan and Melisa Şimşek, was called to give her statement during the hearing. She requested the harshest punishment for the defendant, stating, "In fact, I want the death penalty to be reinstated. That day, I spoke with my daughter several times. We had phone calls around 3:00 PM and 9:00 PM. When we last spoke, she asked me, 'Where are you, when are you coming, mom?' I told her that we would be a little late because I was with my mother in the village, and I said, 'You all eat your meal.' Later, when we returned home, we encountered the scene I described at the police station. I am complaining about the defendant," she said. Şimşek emphasized that the statements made by the defendant claiming he communicated with her via Telegram were not true, stating that she never met the defendant and had no contact with him.
Their grandmother, Aniş Yücekaya, who lived in the same house as the murdered children, also stated, "I used to live with them. They used to support me. I was harmed due to the incident. I am complaining about the defendant and I demand that he receives the necessary punishment," she said. The hearing then proceeded to listen to witnesses.
"THEY HAD THEIR THROATS SLIT AND HANDS TIED BEHIND THEIR BACKS"
Fadime Aksu Kaştı, a member of the medical team that went to the house on the day of the incident, stated as a witness, "On the date of the incident, there were cuts on the throats of the two children, and when we entered the residence with the police teams upon the report, the girl was lying on her side with her hands tied behind her back, and the cut on her throat was clearly visible. The boy was lying face down in front of the window. His hands were not tied. He also had a cut on his throat," she testified.
"A GIRL WAS CONSTANTLY SCREAMING 'DON'T DO IT'"
Hatice Görgün, a neighbor living in the same building, stated in her testimony, "I lived on the 10th floor. On the date of the incident, around 9:35 PM, I started to hear screams. However, I could not understand where the sound was coming from or to whom it belonged. From what I could hear, a girl was constantly screaming 'Don't do it,' and there were sounds of someone banging on the door. These sounds continued until around 10:00 PM. Later, I learned about the incident involving the victim," she said.
"I THOUGHT THEY WERE JUST ARGUING AMONG THEMSELVES"
Ömer Güleryüz, a neighbor living on the same floor, said, "They lived in the apartment next to mine. The wall of our bedroom was adjacent to their wall. On the day of the incident, we were sitting on the balcony. Since the balcony was far from their apartment, I did not hear any sounds. My wife was in the living room. She came to me and said she heard a loud noise. When I went to the bathroom, I heard a sound for about 15-20 seconds. Since I had heard the voices of the brother and sister before and it was not a prolonged situation, I thought they were just arguing among themselves. Previously, when I heard them arguing, I told Umutcan in the elevator, 'You were arguing with your sister,' and Umutcan replied, 'Yes, brother. I was a little angry with my sister,'" he explained.
THE MINISTRY REQUESTED TO PARTICIPATE
Additionally, a lawyer assigned by the Ministry of Family and Social Services also requested to participate in the hearing. Mehmet Ali Ada, the lawyer for the Şimşek family, stated that the defendant Hüseyin Sönmez had been detained and interrogated multiple times in Ankara regarding Uğur Şimşek, and that an operation was conducted regarding a fake promissory note worth 500,000 lira, yet no results were obtained. He requested that the ongoing cases in Ankara be examined within the scope of the trial. Furthermore, in line with Ayşegül Şimşek's request, it was demanded that the sisters-in-law they believed to be connected to the defendant, Kevser Şimşek and Ruhan Kavak, be heard. The court panel accepted these requests and adjourned the hearing to October 1 for the defendant to be heard and for the statements of other witnesses to be taken.
THE MOTHER CAME WEARING A T-SHIRT WITH HER CHILDREN'S PHOTOS
Ayşegül Şimşek, who attended the hearing wearing a t-shirt printed with the photos of her murdered children, made statements outside the courthouse. Şimşek said, "We said, 'May justice be served.' The defendant did not come; I don't know if he is fleeing or doing something else. I want them to give him to us. We will give the necessary punishment if justice cannot. But we trust in justice. We want what is necessary to be done. They should find whoever is behind this. I don't know who is involved, but I don't think that man is alone. I am talking about justice; if necessary, let them hang him in the square for the sake of an example. A child dies every day anyway. Just their living and breathing is a mistake," she expressed.
THE INCIDENT
Umutcan and Melisa Şimşek, who lived in the 12th-floor apartment of the D Block of İdil Apartment on 58th Street in Kılavuz Neighborhood, were found dead on the night of May 6, tied with plastic handcuffs and with their throats slit by their mother Ayşegül Şimşek, who returned home from the village.
Police teams determined that the person responsible for the incident was Hüseyin Sönmez, who lives in Ankara, after conducting investigations and reviewing camera footage. It was established that Sönmez entered the house in a camouflaged manner, stayed in the building for 5 hours, committed the murders, and then returned to Ankara. Hüseyin Sönmez, who was taken into custody in Ankara, claimed that he came to the city to meet with Ayşegül Şimşek to collect a debt of 500,000 lira he had given to the children’s father, Uğur Şimşek, who had been missing for 5 years, and asserted that he did not kill the children. Sönmez was arrested by the court he was brought before. It was determined that Uğur Şimşek, the father of the murdered siblings, had been missing for 5 years and that the last person he met in Ankara was Hüseyin Sönmez.
In the indictment prepared by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding the incident, it was requested that the defendant Sönmez be sentenced to two aggravated life sentences for 'premeditated murder with intent to inflict severe pain or suffering' against Melisa Şimşek, and for 'premeditated murder with intent to inflict severe pain or suffering' against Umutcan Şimşek. Additionally, it was requested that the defendant be punished for 'theft by taking advantage of a person's death in a chain manner at night and regarding items kept under protection within a building', for 'violating the inviolability of the home and causing damage to property' against mother Ayşegül Şimşek, and for 'violating Law No. 6136' against the public, and that he should not benefit from a good behavior reduction.