09.06.2026 19:50
The murder case of Muhammed Kılıç, who was stabbed to death in his car in Erzurum, his hometown where he had come for holiday from Belgium, was reopened after 4 years. A lawsuit has been filed against the suspect, who was detained at the time and released under judicial control, seeking a life sentence for the crime of 'intentional murder'. In the indictment, it was stated that the suspect claimed to have disappeared after the incident, and a drawing by his daughter of the knife, which is considered the murder weapon with one sharp and one serrated side, was also included in the file.
On July 10, 2022, in Erzurum, upon the report of those who saw a motionless person in the driver's seat of a Belgian-plated car, police and health teams were dispatched to the scene. The health team determined that the person, whose throat was cut with a knife, had died.
The investigation revealed that the deceased was Muhammed Kılıç, a resident of Belgium who was in his hometown Erzurum for vacation. After the examination, Muhammed Kılıç's body was taken to the Forensic Medicine Institute morgue for autopsy. İ. Ş. was taken into custody regarding the incident. After his processing at the police station, he was referred to the courthouse and released by the Criminal Judgeship of Peace under judicial supervision. The efforts made at that time yielded no results.
CASE REOPENED AFTER 4 YEARS The public prosecutor's office reopened the case 4 years later. Forensic medicine reports, camera records, witness statements, and crime scene investigation reports were re-examined. Following the investigation, an indictment was prepared.
The indictment stated that on the day of the incident, Muhammed Kılıç went to M. Ş.'s house, where İ. Ş., U. C., M. K., T. İ., O. D., L. A., P. Ö., M. T., and Y. K. were present. It was noted that most of the people in the house were under the influence of narcotics, making it impossible to clearly determine entry and exit times. According to statements taken during the investigation, Muhammed Kılıç and İ. Ş. gave money to M. K. for buying drugs, but became angry when M. K. did not return. Witness Y. K. testified that on the day of the incident, İ. Ş. was tense and angry, and when asked why, he did not respond and even argued with the witness.
The indictment stated that approximately 15 minutes after the incident, İ. Ş. was captured on security cameras walking through the railway tracks at the intersection of Keresteciler Street and Gazi Ahmet Muhtar Paşa Street. The camera footage showed the suspect making hand and arm gestures, walking unsteadily, and struggling to stand.
"HE WAS MAKING HAND AND ARM MOVEMENTS AND TALKING TO HIMSELF" Relatives C. Ş., who stated they saw suspect İ. Ş. near the railway line while driving on the night of the incident, testified, "He was making hand and arm movements and talking to himself. We were inside the car and did not hear what he said. He was wearing dark-colored knitwear. His clothes were messy and unkempt. He was walking as if talking to someone. We discussed among ourselves where he could be coming from at this hour." Upon C. Ş.'s statement, the KGYS records were re-examined, and the white car in the footage was identified as the vehicle driven by C. Ş.
The file also included information that on the night of the incident, around 03:30, İ. Ş. was seen around Ali Paşa Cemetery, exhibiting nervous movements looking towards Topdağı Street, and after waiting under some trees for a while, he left the area, as reflected in the camera records.
"HE SAID HE WAS FOLLOWED BY DEMONS" The indictment also included the statement of the suspect's wife, L. Ş. L. Ş. stated that her husband had been using drugs for about 2 years, and when not using, he was a calm, angelic person, but under the influence, he constantly thought he was being followed, talked to himself, and exhibited paranoid behavior. L. Ş. said, "He would constantly say someone was watching him. He thought the police and demons were following him."
DAUGHTER'S DRAWING OF KNIFE ENTERS THE FILE: LETHAL WOUND FROM A KNIFE WITH ONE SHARP SIDE AND THE OTHER SERRATED One of the most important pieces of evidence leading to the reopening of the case was the knife drawing by İ. Ş.'s daughter. The indictment noted that the knife, which İ. Ş. allegedly always carried and claimed to have lost after the incident, was drawn by his daughter. The drawing depicted a knife with one side serrated like a saw blade and the other side sharp, the handle wrapped with black tape, metallic colored, and with a blunt tip. The report from the Erzurum Forensic Medicine Institution also evaluated that the lethal wound on Muhammed Kılıç's body could have been caused by a knife with one sharp side and the other serrated. The report stated that the knife blow to the chest area broke the right collarbone and first rib, caused injury to the right lung, and was lethal on its own.
RECONSTRUCTION BY HOMICIDE BUREAU TEAMS The indictment also stated that the Homicide Bureau teams of the period conducted special reconstruction efforts for the night of the incident as part of the investigation. Police teams obtained a vehicle of the same model and color similar to the smoke-colored car used by Muhammed Kılıç. Individuals resembling the physical characteristics of the victim and suspect were placed inside the car, and the camera angles from the night of the incident were re-analyzed. The examinations noted that in the footage obtained on the day of the incident, no one inside the vehicle, including the driver, could be distinguished, and therefore it was considered that İ. Ş. could have been in the vehicle during the incident.
WALKING ROUTE EXAMINED PRACTICALLY The investigation file also stated that a practical study was conducted on the route İ. Ş. claimed to have walked after the incident. Police teams calculated the walking pace and time from the crime scene to the level crossing using a person with similar physical characteristics to the suspect. While the viewing angles of the security cameras were marked one by one on the map, it was stated that no images of the suspect were found at some points he claimed to have passed.
The public prosecutor's office stated that when the forensic medicine reports, camera records, witness statements, and crime scene investigation reports were evaluated together, it was considered that Muhammed Kılıç had a struggle with a strong person inside the vehicle. It was reported that the forensic medicine report evaluated that the sharp force wounds on the body could have been caused by a knife with one sharp side and the other serrated, and that the numerous cuts and tears on the victim's clothing could also have resulted from a knife with similar characteristics.
The prosecutor's office stated that the knife allegedly carried constantly by the suspect İ. Ş. and described in the drawing made by his child matches the forensic medicine findings, that he changed his clothes after the incident, that his statements regarding the walking route contradicted camera recordings, and that when all evidence was evaluated together, sufficient suspicion arose that he stabbed and killed Muhammed Kılıç after a fight inside a vehicle, and demanded that he be tried for the crime of 'Intentional killing' and sentenced to life imprisonment. The indictment was accepted by the Erzurum 3rd Heavy Penal Court. The trial of İ. Ş. will begin in the coming days.