Husband who killed his wife by pushing her off a cliff confesses to a same-sex relationship: "It was a mistake to meet with a transgender person."

The trial of Erdal Necip Sözer, who is accused of pushing his wife Semiha Sözer off a cliff and killing her, has begun in the Altınova district of Yalova. The husband sitting in the defendant's chair was asked about the naked photos on his phone and allegations of homosexual relationships.

DIED AFTER FALLING FROM A HEIGHT OF 20 METERS

On January 24, 2023, in the Ballıkaya area of Soğuksu village in Altınova district, Semiha Sözer (34) died at the scene after falling from a height of approximately 20 meters while with her husband Erdal Necip Sözer (41). In his statement, the husband said they had climbed the rocks to take photos. The expert committee established on suspicion concluded that the incident was neither a suicide nor an accident, but that the victim was pushed, leading to her death. Subsequently, the defendant was arrested 15 months after the incident. The trial of the detained defendant has begun at the Yalova 2nd High Criminal Court.

"LIFE IMPRISONMENT IS SOUGHT FOR THE DETAINED HUSBAND"

During the hearing, the defendant Erdal Necip Sözer, for whom aggravated life imprisonment is sought for the crime of "Intentional Murder of a Spouse," stated that they got married after meeting at a wedding. Sözer, who noted that he moved from Germany to Turkey due to marriage, claimed that his wife experienced mood swings, saying, "She would get happy quickly, and then angry quickly. I always thought positively, saying it would be fine. We made a joint decision not to have children immediately. We were going out, wandering around, in nature, in shopping malls, to lift her spirits. I have no criminal record. I didn't even argue. No cheating, no fighting. There were only minor issues," he said.

"I AM A CIVILIZED PERSON"

Describing the day of the incident, Sözer said they went to a bungalow restaurant near the Yalova-Kocaeli border because his wife was curious. After having tea and coffee, he stated that they went to the rocks in the Ballıkaya area of Soğuksu village to take photos, adding that his wife was curious about the place because he had previously taken photos there with his brother-in-law. Sözer said, "We decided to take photos as well. An unfortunate event happened on the way back. I was in front, she was coming from behind. I only saw her thinking. I lost my beloved wife. I found a way through the bushes and reached her. In panic, I called for an ambulance. I am a civilized person. I could have hired a lawyer and divorced. There was nothing between us," he stated.

"THE NEWS CAME TO ME BY COINCIDENCE"

Responding to questions from the presiding judge, Sözer addressed whether he sent the messages that were sent just before the incident in the family WhatsApp group from his wife's phone, saying, "Her hands were shaking from the cold. She had started the message, she gave me the phone to complete it. I don't remember what I wrote. Then I sent it. I might have said, 'Hello, my dear.'" Speaking about the naked photos that came from his laptop, Sözer said, "These are pictures I sent to my girlfriend in 2017-2018. I told my wife to check the dates. They were 3-4 years before us. I talked about it, explained it, and there was no problem." Regarding the question about reading a news article about a fall from a height on his phone the day before his wife fell off the cliff, Sözer replied, "I didn't research the news myself. News comes to my phone. I read 10 news articles. The news must have come to me by coincidence," he said. When asked why they stayed at the scene for 1 hour and 42 minutes, Sözer said, "We were waiting for the sunset. There was water, there were biscuits. I didn't realize how time passed. Our goal was to take pictures and watch the sunset."

"IT WAS A MISTAKE ONCE"

Responding to questions about allegations of homosexuality and his meeting with a trans individual, Sözer stated that he would not hide such a thing, saying, "I am a person who grew up in Europe. This is an allegation made 10 months after my wife's death. I made a mistake. The person I met introduced themselves differently." When reminded of the message sent to the trans individual, "I am Erol from Germany, I came to see you, it's been a long time, I want to come, I miss you, I am in Izmit," Sözer said, "I went 3-4 years ago. It was a mistake once. I have no such inclinations."

Selma Dursun, the mother of Semiha Sözer, described the problems between her daughter and son-in-law. Father Sabri Dursun stated that although his son-in-law claimed they were distant relatives, he noted that he was his aunt's son. Later in the hearing, the first people to arrive at the scene and relatives of the couple were heard as witnesses. The court then decided to continue the defendant's detention and to conduct a location determination. The participation of Semiha Sözer's parents, as well as the Ministry of Family and Social Services, in the case was also accepted. The hearing was postponed to a later date.

"THERE WILL BE ONE TRUTH"

After the trial, Selma Dursun, the mother of Semiha Sözer, stated that she demanded justice from the court, saying, "This person gives different statements 3-4 times. In the middle of winter, in such cold weather, he claims to have dizziness, had a fear of heights, and was a heart patient; all of these turned out to be lies with all the reports. Despite saying these, in such cold weather, he held my daughter for 1 hour and 40 minutes at the edge of the rock.

He says our fingers went numb. Then he says he saw a lizard, saw a snake, and fell. He says he fell while taking a photo. He was behind me, I touched him as he fell, but he couldn't hold on. In the last discovery, I never saw him. I only heard his voice. There should be one truth. A person can have a spouse, a child, or a friend by their side. If you value a person, it is not possible to take them to such a place. I went to their house to meet. Marriages are getting divorced in 3-5 months. We never wanted it to be like that. I didn't let my daughter talk much. I feel guilty. It has been 613 days since my daughter passed away. We are also relatives with them. Doesn't a person call even once? "If you are not guilty," he said.

"DIFFERENT SEXUAL ORIENTATIONS ARE REVEALED"

Lawyer Eyyüp Kaplan stated that the incident is not an accident but a murder, saying: The suspect has had multiple statements from the first day to today. All of them are contradictory. What they say does not reflect the truth. He tried to show that he had a very happy marriage. However, witness testimonies, the victim's message records, and what the family said contradicted this situation. The suspect was later placed under technical surveillance. It is revealed that he has different sexual orientations. He probably either learned this from the deceased or there was a risk of learning it, or he could not live these relationships comfortably. We do not know exactly. He planned such a thing and committed murder. A day before the incident, a news story is read. A news report about a fall from the cliffs in Siirt is read. Immediately after, this incident occurs. This is not in line with the normal course of life. Come on, you didn't plan anything. A day before, you see a news story about falling from a cliff. The very next day, you go. In January, during the winter season, the weather conditions are not suitable. Despite the scenery being the same, even though it is a place where you can take a photo, it is obvious that he was taken to the edge of the cliff and put in danger. He was pushed, this is very clear. There is an expert report in the file. A physics expert has prepared a report. Forensic medicine and crime scene investigation experts have prepared reports. They explained that this was neither an accident nor a suicide, along with the reasons. Unless there is an external push or force, the place he claims to have fallen is one he has shown multiple times. During the investigation phase, he showed a different place each time. The last place he pointed out, the expert prepares a report. He does not fall where he is supposed to fall. There is a distance of 13 meters from where he is supposed to fall. He explained that he fell there due to an external influence. As a result, he was arrested. His trial is ongoing. The court decided that he would be tried in custody. He does not accept the relationships he had with men he had same-sex relations with, but the tape recordings are present in the file. His conversations, message records. The statement of the citizen he had a relationship with has been taken. 'Yes, he came, we had a relationship.' He states that he is both active and passive. Despite all this, he does not accept it. We believe that justice will be served. We will follow this case, and we will be behind it until the last day. Hopefully, the reality of the incident will come to light. The other lawyer of the family, Muhammed Şamil Koçoğlu, said, "There has been a constant argument between them, but family members have always urged 'be patient with the couples, let this continue,' and so on. In fact, the defendant's mother said, 'If you get divorced, you will no longer have a bond with me. I will disown you,' in that manner. For this reason, they never thought about getting divorced. The defendant has behaved in various ways towards the victim. He kept himself distant, constantly demanded that she separate from him. However, the victim decided to continue the marriage under the influence of her family's suggestions. After the defendant realized that she would not get divorced, he began to search for various news. Then this incident occurred. This is a suspicious situation," he said.