09.10.2026 16:51
The verdict was announced at the second hearing of the case concerning Güllü's death. The court panel, in line with the prosecutor's opinion, sentenced Tuğyan Ülkem Gülter to aggravated life imprisonment. Despite the tears she shed, Gülter could not influence the court's decision. Here is Tuğyan Ülkem Gülter's defense in court...
A verdict has been issued in the case concerning the death of singer Gül Tut (52), known by the name “Güllü,” who died after falling from the window of her home in the Çınarcık district of Yalova. Yalova 1st High Criminal Court sentenced Güllü’s daughter, detained defendant Tuğyan Ülkem Gülter (28), to aggravated life imprisonment for the crime of “premeditated intentional killing of an ascendant.” Gülter, who rejected the accusations, burst into tears after the verdict.
PROSECUTOR REITERATED HIS OPINION
The second hearing at Yalova 1st High Criminal Court was attended by detained defendant Tuğyan Ülkem Gülter, the singer’s son Tuğberk Yağız Gülter, her former manager and assistant Çiğdem Emir Deniz, and the parties’ lawyers. The public prosecutor reiterated his opinion from the first hearing and requested that Gülter be sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment for the crime of “premeditated intentional killing of an ascendant.”
“WE ALSO DEMAND THAT SULTAN BE TRIED”
The lawyers of Güllü’s sister, Kader Tut, submitted a report concerning camera footage from the night of the incident. The report included the following statements:
“It emerges that while Güllü was entering the bathroom, Tuğyan said to Sultan, ‘Shh, shh, let’s open Malkata and let her dance like that,’ and that after Güllü came out of the bathroom, she called out, ‘Open it, open it, open it.’ The defendant acted together with Sultan here. Sultan should be a defendant, not a witness. In her statement, Sultan is telling the truth, but she is telling it incompletely. We demand that the defendant be punished for the crime of ‘premeditated intentional killing of an ascendant,’ and that Sultan also be tried. ”
SHE DEFENDED HERSELF IN TEARS
Tuğyan Ülkem Gülter, defending herself in tears, recounted what happened on the day of the incident. Gülter, who said that in the morning they went to the market with Sultan Nur Ulu and then to a shopping mall for a meeting with a caregiver, stated that after returning home she chatted with her mother and they watched a film, and that her mother drank alcohol.
Gülter spoke as follows:
“Then we danced in the living room and sang songs. There was nothing wrong with us. Then Sultan and I went to my room. My mother came too. She danced as well. Sultan was facing the mirror, I was in front of her. Then there was a sound. When I turned around, my mother was gone. Then I shouted to Sultan, ‘Run.’ We went downstairs together. ”
Gülter, who rejected the accusations and argued that she had no contact with her mother, said, “My back was turned. When my mother fell, I did not see anything touch her. If I had seen it, I would have tried to hold her. I do not remember the position in which she fell.”
“I DID NOT HEAR A VOICE SAYING ‘SEE YOU LATER’”
Gülter also spoke about the words “See you later,” which the indictment stated were heard immediately before the incident, and said, “At the time of the incident, I did not hear a voice saying ‘See you later.’ That voice belongs to my mother.” She said she also did not accept Sultan Nur Ulu’s statements.
“I WAS LABELED AS A MOTHER KILLER”
Asked for her final words before the verdict, Gülter said the following:
“I do not accept the accusations against me. I never saw the moment my mother fell. I am a victim. I was slandered. If I am a killer, she saw me—why did she not make a sound at the time of the incident? I believe she gave this statement because she was afraid and under pressure. In digital media and the press, I am portrayed as a ‘mother killer’; I was labeled a ‘mother killer.’ I could not grieve my mother. I trust in divine justice. No matter how much punishment you give, I know that I am innocent. I do not want my daughter to carry this stain. ”
AGGRAVATED LIFE IMPRISONMENT
After the recess it gave for the verdict, the court panel sentenced Tuğyan Ülkem Gülter to aggravated life imprisonment for the crime of “premeditated intentional killing of an ascendant.” Gülter burst into tears when she heard the verdict.
“THE COURT HAS IMPOSED THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF PUNISHMENT”
Speaking after the trial, Tuğberk Yağız Gülter's lawyer Rahmi Çelik said, “First of all, we are sad that such an incident happened. I wish it had not happened. The court has imposed the highest level of punishment. We are sad; that is all we can say. The court’s decision must also be respected. The court has made its assessment. Of course, the decision is still a local court decision at this stage; there is an appeal and the Court of Cassation.”
“WE WILL CONTINUE OUR LEGAL PROCEEDINGS REGARDING SULTAN”
Çelik, who said they would also continue the legal process regarding Sultan Nur Ulu, stated, “Regarding Sultan, we can say this clearly: we had an objection to the prosecutor’s office, and it was rejected. We will not let it go. We will legally continue our legal proceedings concerning her. We say that the decision given must be respected. The court has given such a decision; it must be respected.”
When it was noted that Tuğberk Yağız Gülter was very upset, lawyer Çelik said, “God forbid. God forbid. No one would want to be in his place. Just think: on one side, someone who has lost his mother; on the other, a sister who is being tried. How can that be? May God not let anyone fall into his situation.”
“MY CLIENT WAS SUBJECTED TO A VERY SERIOUS SLANDER”
Tuğyan Ülkem Gülter's lawyer Merve Uçanok, in her statement to journalists, drew attention to the fact that the trial process had not yet been completed and said the following:
“That is, the trial has not yet ended. As you know, there is an appellate stage and a Court of Cassation stage. My client Tuğyan Ülkem Gülter was subjected to a very serious slander. And, as you can see, within a week an opinion was formed in the court without the evidence being properly and duly discussed. I believe this case will come back from the higher courts and be overturned. In this regard, I stand behind Tuğyan Ülkem Gülter to the end. I also believe that I will ultimately prove her innocence at the end of the trial. We will never give up. At the very end of the trial, I will reunite Tuğyan with her daughter. ”
THE INCIDENT OCCURRED ON SEPTEMBER 26, 2025
Güllü died on September 26, 2025, after falling from the window of her home in a 6-story building in Harmanlar Neighborhood of Çınarcık district. Tuğyan Ülkem Gülter, who was taken into custody as part of the investigation, was arrested on the charge of “intentional killing,” while a house arrest decision was issued for her friend Sultan Nur Ulu. Ulu’s house arrest was later lifted.
In the indictment prepared by the Yalova Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office after an 11-month investigation, aggravated life imprisonment was sought for Gülter, while a prison sentence of 2 to 4 years was sought for Ulu for the crime of “false testimony.”
“I SAW HER THROW HER MOTHER FROM THE WINDOW”
At the first hearing of the case on October 1, Sultan Nur Ulu, who was at home on the night of the incident, gave the following statement:
“When I turned around, I saw Tuğyan throw her mother from the window. Then they said to me, ‘Run.’ I was in shock. I was very scared and my first statement was different. On the day of the funeral, Tuğyan said to me, ‘If you burn me, I will burn you too.’ ”
At the same hearing, Güllü’s son Tuğberk Yağız Gülter also said that he had filed a complaint against everyone involved in the incident.
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