02.05.2025 08:00
The killer of 15-year-old Mattia Ahmet Minguzzi, who was stabbed to death at a flea market in Kadıköy, Istanbul, will likely serve only 10 years in prison because he is under 18. The Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) will increase the penalties for child murderers, similar to those in Europe and the United States, in order to prevent such cases.
The murder of 15-year-old Mattia Ahmet Minguzzi, which shook Turkey, has become a topic of debate due to the fact that the killer is under 18 years old and will receive a reduced sentence. The killer, for whom an indictment has been prepared with a request for up to 24 years in prison, may be conditionally released from prison after 10 years according to legal experts, as a 'child discount' will be applied.
STEPS ARE BEING TAKEN TO INCREASE PENALTIES
According to a report by Türkiye Gazetesi, both Minguzzi's family and the public are reacting against the application of reduced sentences. In this context, it is expected that the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) will take steps to increase the penalties given to child murderers in order to prevent "new 'Minguzzis'" in the coming days. The report of the research commission established in the TBMM will also include recommendations for increasing these penalties.
According to the Turkish Penal Code, children who have not reached the age of 12 do not have criminal responsibility. Similarly, there is no criminal responsibility for those who have not reached the age of 15 if they cannot comprehend the legal meaning and consequences of the act they committed. For individuals who are 15 years old at the time of committing the act but have not yet turned 18, if the crime requires aggravated life imprisonment, the sentence can range from 18 to 24 years, and if it requires life imprisonment, the sentence can range from 12 to 15 years. Among the recommendations of the TBMM Research Commission is the introduction of a new tiering system for these penalties and an increase in the sentences.
PENALTIES IN EUROPE ARE MORE DETERRENT THAN IN TURKEY
In many European countries, the penalties for juvenile offenders are more deterrent than those in Turkey. The commission will also examine examples from Europe and will raise the issue of applying heavier penalties in cases of brutally committed murders, even if the killer is under 18, as in the case of Minguzzi. In some countries, juvenile offenders are tried as adults according to the crime they committed, and the penalties given to adults are applied.
In many states in the USA, children aged 16-17 who commit serious crimes can be tried as adults. In some states, this age limit drops to 14. In a 1993 case in the USA, a court tried a 13-year-old who brutally killed a 4-year-old child as an adult and did not apply a sentence reduction. In Canada, offenders over the age of 14 can also be tried in adult court depending on the severity of the crime committed. In the UK, children over the age of 10 who commit serious crimes are tried in other courts instead of special juvenile courts. Meanwhile, a detention order has been issued for two suspects under the age of 18 related to the murder.