22.05.2026 17:00
In the case regarding the murder of 12-year-old Hande Çinkitaş in Kadıköy in 2001, who was hit on the head with a hammer and had her throat cut, father Nezih Çinkitaş, whose life sentence was upheld by the Court of Cassation, has been taken into custody. In the case that returned to the agenda following DNA evidence found on the murder weapon, Çinkitaş denied the accusations, saying 'I didn't do anything.' After being processed at the police station, Çinkitaş was referred to the courthouse and was arrested and sent to prison.
In Kadıköy on January 4, 2001, Hande Çinkitaş (12) was found dead in her home with a hammer blow to her head and her throat cut. After her daughter was found dead at her ex-husband's house, mother Handan Yılmazer launched a legal battle. During the lengthy trial process, father Nezih Çinkitaş and stepmother Şehnaz Çinkitaş were not punished. Following new evidence and information obtained by the Homicide Bureau teams, father Nezih Çinkitaş and stepmother Şehnaz Çinkitaş were detained in an operation in November 2020. In 2020, the Forensic Medicine Institute (ATK) sent a report to the court. The Forensic Medicine Institute report stated that an intense DNA profile belonging to father Nezih Çinkitaş was found on the sharp edge of the knife used in the incident. After the evidence, the two suspects were arrested. The trial began to be heard at the Istanbul Anatolia 2nd Heavy Penal Court. On May 30, 2022, the court acquitted Nezih Çinkitaş and Şehnaz Özcan on the grounds of 'insufficient evidence'.
THE FILE WAS SENT TO THE COURT OF CASSATION After the file was brought to the regional court of appeal, the 1st Criminal Chamber of the Istanbul Regional Court of Appeal overturned the local court's decision, sentencing Nezih Çinkitaş to life imprisonment for 'qualified intentional killing'. Following the file being sent to the Court of Cassation, the decision of the 1st Criminal Chamber of the Istanbul Regional Court of Appeal on July 8, 2024 was found legally sound by the Court of Cassation. With its decision on April 1, 2026, the 1st Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation unanimously upheld the life imprisonment sentence given to father Nezih Çinkitaş. The decision stated that the appeals of the participating parties and the defendant's lawyer were rejected on the merits.
DETAINED AT HIS HOME Following the Forensic Medicine Institute report, a study was initiated to solve the murder in the case filed at the Anatolia Courthouse. Teams from the Istanbul Public Order Branch Directorate's Wanted Persons Bureau detained the prime suspect of the murder, Father Nezih Çinkitaş (65), at his home in Kadıköy Göztepe. The work accelerated with the involvement of teams from the Public Order Branch Directorate's Homicide Bureau.
HE DENIED THE ALLEGATIONS It was learned that father Nezih Çinkitaş, brought to the Public Order Branch Directorate, gave a 14-page statement during his questioning, which lasted for 7 hours. In his interrogation, Çinkitaş denied the allegations. Within the scope of the investigation, statements were taken from neighbors and more than 20 close relatives of Çinkitaş. It was learned that all witnesses gave statements against Çinkitaş and said that Çinkitaş had psychological problems.
"WHEN I ENTERED THE ROOM, I SAW HANDE LYING ON THE FLOOR" It was learned that in his statement at the Public Order Branch Directorate, Father Çinkitaş said, "When I came home from outside on January 4, 2001, the door of our apartment was slightly ajar. At first, I thought a burglar had entered the house. I leaned against the door and walked towards the part where Hande's room was. When I fully entered the room, I saw Hande lying on her back on the floor. I stroked her cheek, said 'Get up, my daughter, go to your bed' and picked her up. When I turned on the light in her room, I saw a lot of blood on the rug and that Hande's throat was cut; I got scared. Then I called my wife and the doctor."
FATHER'S DNA WAS DETECTED ON THE KNIFE During the work of the Public Order Branch Directorate teams, 3 sacks of judicial evidence belonging to the house where the incident took place were re-examined. The materials were re-analyzed with advanced technology. In the DNA analysis, it was determined that there was a high rate of Nezih Çinkitaş's DNA profile on the sharp part of the knife. After the murder was solved with evidence, the Court of Cassation upheld the life imprisonment sentence of Father Nezih Çinkitaş. Following the upholding of the life sentence, father Nezih Çinkitaş was detained at his home in Kadıköy Göztepe by teams from the Public Order Branch Directorate's Wanted Persons Bureau.
"I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING" Çinkitaş was brought to the Gayrettepe Public Order Branch Directorate's Homicide Bureau. After his statement was taken here and his procedures completed, Çinkitaş was sent to the Anatolia Courthouse. Upon exiting, Çinkitaş said, "I didn't do anything. There is nothing to confess. Who hid what? I don't know anything." Nezih Çinkitaş was arrested and sent to Kartal H-type prison.
WHAT HAPPENED? Regarding the murder of Hande Çinkitaş, the defendants father Nezih Çinkitaş and stepmother Şehnaz Çinkitaş, who were tried at the Anatolia 2nd Heavy Penal Court, were acquitted on the grounds that it was not proven that they committed the crime of 'intentionally killing a descendant with monstrous feeling or by torture'.
Upon the appeal of the decision, the 1st Criminal Chamber of the Istanbul Regional Court of Appeal, which examined the file, found the local court's acquittal decision not legally sound.
The Chamber ruled that Nezih Çinkitaş committed the crime of 'intentionally killing a descendant' and initially sentenced him to aggravated life imprisonment; later, considering the defendant's attitude and behavior during the hearings, the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.
The acquittal decision regarding stepmother Şehnaz Çinkitaş was decided to continue.