01.10.2025 15:24
In the case regarding the death of Yeşim Akbaş, who was found shot in the head with a gun in a police housing in the Demirci district of Manisa, the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office of the Court of Cassation requested the reversal of the acquittal of Deputy Commissioner Doğan Can Yıldız. Meanwhile, it was determined that evidence had been tampered with in the security camera footage that emerged, and a lawsuit was filed against two police officers.
On April 14, 2023, around 08:00, a gunshot was heard in the police housing in the Demirci district. Police teams entering the room of Deputy Commissioner Doğan Can Yıldız, from where the sound originated, found Yeşim Akbaş, who operates a beauty salon in the district, shot in the head. Akbaş passed away after being taken to the hospital following the initial intervention.
THE GUN THAT SHOT YEŞİM BELONGED TO THE DEPUTY COMMISSIONER It was determined that the gun used to shoot Yeşim Akbaş belonged to Deputy Commissioner Yıldız. Doğan Can Yıldız, who was taken into custody by the district gendarmerie command teams, was released under judicial control by the court he was brought to. Following an objection from the Public Prosecutor's Office, Yıldız was taken into custody again on April 19 in the Bayraklı district of İzmir and was subsequently arrested. A case was opened against Doğan Can Yıldız at the Salihli Heavy Penal Court for 'intentional murder of a woman' and 'using public duty vehicles and equipment in the crime,' with a request for aggravated life imprisonment. In the trial held on July 12, 2024, the court panel decided to acquit the detained defendant Doğan Can Yıldız, considering the principle of 'in doubt, the defendant benefits.'
The family of Yeşim Akbaş appealed the decision through lawyer Hazal Kısa Bilici. While the appeal process of the case was ongoing at the İzmir Regional Court of Justice, lawyer Bilici submitted a petition to the Forensic Medicine Department of Hacettepe University on February 19, 2025, requesting a proper interpretation and reconstruction of the incident, clarification of the contradictions in the reports; and a scientific and technical evaluation of the struggle and physical intervention traces, shooting distance and trajectory, the crime scene, and the shooting residues found on the suspect and the victim.
SCIENTIFIC CONTRADICTIONS AND INCOMPLETE EXAMINATIONS IDENTIFIED The report prepared by a committee of academics was completed on March 24, 2025. The report included significant contradictions and scientific inconsistencies regarding whether the incident was a suicide or occurred in another way. According to the report, no gunshot residue was found on the white sneakers that Deputy Commissioner Yıldız claimed to be wearing at the time of the incident, nor on his right hand. However, gunshot residue was found on his left hand. The absence of gunshot residue on the sneakers taken after the incident indicated that this clothing was worn later, and the finding of gunshot residue on only one hand contradicted the witness police officer's statement about 'rubbing the hands with cologne.' The absence of gunpowder, soot, and burn marks around the entry wound in Yeşim Akbaş's skull indicated that the shot was not fired from close range or very close range. This strengthened the possibility that the incident was not a suicide. Additionally, the presence of blood and tissue traces in Akbaş's palms was recorded as another finding indicating that she did not hold the gun during the incident. The crime scene examination revealed that the gun could have been fired from a point 93 centimeters above the ground. This also strengthened the possibility that the gun was fired from a certain distance without being held by Yeşim Akbaş. Furthermore, the examination of whether the scratch on Yıldız's face was caused by a human nail or an animal claw was considered a significant deficiency in the investigation.
"IT IS UNDERSTOOD THAT SHE WAS KILLED WITH A GUN BY THE DEFENDANT" Lawyer Bilici applied to the 1st Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation on March 27, 2025, with the report she received. The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office of the Court of Cassation found the appeal of Yeşim Akbaş's family justified in its opinion. The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office requested the local court's decision to be overturned in accordance with Article 302 of the Criminal Procedure Code. The opinion highlighted the need for a report from a single expert instead of a committee, the way evidence was evaluated, and the findings at the crime scene. It was stated that there was no evidence that Akbaş would commit suicide, and the nature of the injury and the circumstances of the incident contradicted the possibility of suicide.
The gunshot residues found on Yıldız and Akbaş's bodies and clothing, the position of the cartridge and bullet at the crime scene, the suspicion of tampering with evidence, the contradictions between Yıldız's call to 112 and what he told his friend were evaluated as reasons not to trust his defense. Additionally, the bruises on Akbaş's hands and body, the tissue samples belonging to Yıldız found in her fingernails, and the scratch on Yıldız's cheek consistent with a nail indicated that there was a physical struggle between the parties. The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office stated that all findings indicated that Akbaş did not commit suicide and was shot dead by Yıldız, asserting that the acquittal decision was unlawful and requested the acceptance of the appeal requests of the Public Prosecutor and the complainants, leading to the annulment of the judgment.
NEW IMAGES EMERGED; 2 POLICE OFFICERS WILL BE TRIED New security camera footage emerged as part of the investigation. The footage revealed that the location of the gun was changed before the crime scene examination was conducted, and it was determined that actions were taken to eliminate important evidence such as gunshot residue by giving cologne to the defendant Yıldız. An indictment was prepared against police officers F. K. and M. K. on charges of 'destroying, concealing, or altering evidence.' The file was sent to the Demirci Criminal Court of First Instance by the Demirci Chief Public Prosecutor's Office on September 10, 2025.
The indictment stated that the two police officers acted in concert, wrapping the gun found at the crime scene with a cloth and securing it, and subsequently placing it back, which led to the erasure of fingerprints.
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