22.10.2026 19:33
Lokman Etken (33), who shot and killed Gözde Akbaba (26), alleged to be his ex-girlfriend, with a handgun in front of a housing complex in the Menemen district of İzmir on January 19, was sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment and 3 years in prison for the crime of unlicensed weapon possession. In the incident captured on security camera, Akbaba was seen fleeing while shouting 'Call the police.' The defendant, who said he regretted it, had requested acquittal.
Lokman Etken (33), who shot and killed Gözde Akbaba (26) with a handgun in the middle of the street in the Menemen district of İZMİR, was sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment for 'premeditated intentional killing of a woman' and to 3 years in prison for 'buying, carrying or possessing unlicensed firearms and ammunition'.
The incident occurred around 20:30 on January 19, 2026, in İnönü Neighborhood. Lokman Etken came to the housing complex where Gözde Akbaba, alleged to be his ex-girlfriend, lived. Etken, carrying a handgun, followed Akbaba after she left the complex and, according to the allegation, opened fire on his ex-girlfriend and then fled the scene. Following a report, gendarmerie and medical teams were dispatched to the scene. Akbaba, who was seriously injured by bullets that struck her body, was taken by ambulance to Çiğli Training and Research Hospital. The young woman, who was taken into treatment, could not be saved despite doctors' intervention. The murder suspect Etken was detained the same day at a fuel station together with the weapon used in the crime. Etken, who was referred to the courthouse after procedures at the gendarmerie station, was arrested by the court he was brought before.
THOSE MOMENTS ON CAMERA
The incident in which Akbaba lost her life was captured on the housing complex's security camera. In the camera footage, Lokman Etken was seen coming around the housing complex and, after Akbaba left the complex, running after her with the handgun in his hand. The footage included moments in which Akbaba shouted 'Call the police' as she fled, and Etken continued chasing her despite this. Etken was then heard firing the handgun, and Akbaba, after collapsing to the ground, was heard asking for help, saying 'Call an ambulance, help, my leg is severed.' Akbaba's body was buried in her hometown of Kırşehir.
INDICTMENT PREPARED WITH REQUEST FOR AGGRAVATED LIFE IMPRISONMENT
After the investigation initiated regarding the incident, an indictment was prepared against the defendant Etken, seeking aggravated life imprisonment for 'premeditated intentional killing of a woman' and up to 3 years in prison for 'buying, carrying or possessing unlicensed firearms and ammunition'. The indictment was accepted by the Menemen Heavy Penal Court.
The defendant's trial continued today at the Menemen Heavy Penal Court. While the detained defendant and lawyers were present in the courtroom, Gözde's father, Osman Akbaba, participated in the hearing via the Audio and Visual Information System (SEGBİS). The prosecution, reiterating the opinion on the merits it submitted at the previous hearing, requested that the defendant be punished for the crimes of 'premeditated intentional killing of a woman' and 'buying, carrying or possessing unlicensed firearms and ammunition'.
DEFENDANT REQUESTS ACQUITTAL
Gözde's father, who was given the floor at the hearing, reiterated his complaint against the defendant and asked that he receive the heaviest sentence. The detained defendant, who was asked for his final words, claimed that he regretted the incident that occurred and requested acquittal.
The decision was announced after the defense and statements. The court panel sentenced defendant Lokman Etken to aggravated life imprisonment for the crime of 'premeditated intentional killing of a woman' and to 3 years in prison for the crime of 'buying, carrying or possessing unlicensed firearms and ammunition'.