14.05.2026 16:50
The investigation into Serkan Barlık, the detained defendant who killed taxi driver Erhan Çiftçi with 14 stab wounds in Zeytinburnu last December, has been completed. The indictment states that the defendant chased Çiftçi during the incident and then repeatedly stabbed the victim, who had fallen to the ground. The forensic report identified 14 stab wounds on Çiftçi’s body, and a life imprisonment sentence has been requested for the defendant.
The investigation into the murder of taxi driver Erhan Çiftçi, who was stabbed 14 times in the middle of the street in Zeytinburnu, has been completed. A life sentence has been demanded for the detained suspect Serkan Barlık.
BLOODY ATTACK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET
In the indictment prepared by the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it was stated that the incident occurred on December 7, 2025, in Zeytinburnu. After leaving work and parking his car, taxi driver Erhan Çiftçi was attacked by Serkan Barlık, who is alleged to have been his adversary, while walking.
Police and medical teams who arrived at the scene following a report found Çiftçi seriously injured. Despite all interventions by the medical teams, Çiftçi died at the scene. Serkan Barlık, who fled after the incident, was caught shortly afterward in an abandoned building with the knife used as the crime weapon and was arrested.
"HE STABBED HIM REPEATEDLY"
Witness B.Y., whose statement was included in the indictment, said he went outside upon hearing fighting sounds and stated, "I saw Serkan Barlık, whom I know from the neighborhood, stabbing Erhan Çiftçi repeatedly with a knife in his hand. When I went out, Çiftçi was covered in blood, and the suspect had fled."
EXPERT REPORT INCLUDED IN THE INDICTMENT
In his statement, suspect Serkan Barlık claimed that the victim and his father had previously assaulted him. He said he went out to buy bread on the day of the incident, that the argument escalated after they encountered each other, and that he stabbed Çiftçi multiple times.
The expert report included in the indictment stated that the incident was not premeditated. The report noted that the first unjust act was committed by the suspect, that the suspect approached Çiftçi, then a chase ensued, and the victim was stabbed after falling to the ground.
HORRIFYING DETAIL IN AUTOPSY REPORT
In the autopsy report prepared by the Forensic Medicine Institute, it was stated that Erhan Çiftçi's body had 14 stab wounds and 1 cut wound. It was indicated that one of the wounds was alone lethal, and death occurred due to internal and external bleeding from internal organ and major vessel injuries.
WILL BE TRIED IN HIGH CRIMINAL COURT
In the prepared indictment, a life sentence was demanded for the detained suspect Serkan Barlık on charges of "intentional murder." It was learned that the suspect will appear before a judge at the Bakırköy 24th High Criminal Court in the coming days.