17.05.2025 11:24
Isa Dumlu, who confessed live on Müge Anlı's program that he killed Mustafa Hakkulu, who was reported missing in Adana, was sentenced to 25 years in prison with a reduced sentence due to his confession. His friend, 26-year-old Yüksel Menderes Ürün, was sentenced to life imprisonment. The relatives of the deceased Hakkulu stated that they found the sentences too lenient and would appeal the decision.
On December 13, 2023, the vehicle of Mustafa Hakkulu, a father of three, was found abandoned on the Mansurlu road in the Kozan district. Eleven days after Hakkulu went missing, the tragic news came. His body was discovered by citizens in a stream in the Postkabasakal neighborhood. The autopsy revealed that Mustafa Hakkulu had been shot in the back of the neck with a gun.
CONFESSED ON LIVE BROADCAST While the homicide bureau teams were working to illuminate the horrific murder, Isa Dumlu, a father of three, confessed on live broadcast that he killed his friend Mustafa Hakkulu because he was talking negatively about his wife. Dumlu was immediately taken into custody by the teams from the Istanbul Public Order Branch, stating, "I regret it."
During his interrogation at the police station, Dumlu claimed that his friend Yüksel Menderes Ürün had committed the murder. Following this claim, Ürün was also taken into custody.
VERDICT HEARING A decision was made in the case opened against the arrested Isa Dumlu and Yüksel Menderes Ürün for the crime of "Intentional Murder" at the Kozan Heavy Penal Court. The defendants Dumlu and Ürün attended the verdict hearing via the Audio and Visual Information System (SEGBİS) from the prisons where they were held. In the hearing, where the relatives of the murdered Mustafa Hakkulu and the lawyers of the parties were also present, the defendants made their final defenses.
CONFESSED ON LIVE BROADCAST, BLAMED HIS FRIEND IN COURT Confessing to the murder, Dumlu changed his statement, claiming that the murder was committed by his friend Yüksel Menderes Ürün, who owed money to Mustafa Hakkulu. Dumlu stated that he met Mustafa Hakkulu 2-3 months before the incident and bought a shotgun from him for 5,000 lira, saying, "While I was returning home from the population registry, Yüksel called me and said, 'Bring the item back.' I understood that the item he meant was the gun I took from Mustafa. I took the gun from home and went to my workplace. Yüksel came and took the gun. When I asked why he wanted it, he said, 'I will kill Mustafa, I owe him a lot.' Then he said, 'Call Mustafa and bring him here.' I called Mustafa several times, but he didn't answer. Yüksel also called and said, 'Isa's relationship with his wife is bad, he is upset, I can't go to him. He is at the Mansurlu junction, can you take care of it?' After hanging up the phone, I dropped Yüksel off at the orange grove near Deliçay. I thought he would kill Mustafa here because it was secluded," he said.
Mustafa Hakkulu "I WAS NOT IN COLLABORATION WITH YÜKSEL" Dumlu, who stated that Mustafa Hakkulu came to him in his vehicle after a while, described the moment of the murder as follows:
"Mustafa sat in the front right seat of my car. We drove around after drinking a little alcohol. Later, Yüksel called and said, 'Pick me up from the Mansurlu junction.' I picked Yüksel up in the car, and when he said he would get money from home, we went to his house. I went to the bathroom, and at that moment, I saw a gun in Yüksel's hand. I was not surprised because he was planning to kill Mustafa. Yüksel sat in the back right seat, and Mustafa was sitting in the front right seat. When we arrived at the Deliçay area, suddenly there was a gunshot. The front window of the car shattered, and Mustafa was covered in blood. When it got dark, we threw Mustafa's body into the stream at the Postkabasakal area."
When asked for his last words, Dumlu said, "I explained the incident in detail. I handed over all the evidence with my own hands. I am not in collaboration with Yüksel. I apologize to the Hakkulu family. The judgment is first God's, then yours," and requested his acquittal.
THEY BLAMED EACH OTHER Yüksel Menderes Ürün also claimed in his defense that he had no connection to the murder. In his final words, Ürün expressed his condolences to the victim's family, saying, "Isa has confessed to the crime in front of 85 million people. His wife has also cried and approved of Isa. I have no doubt that, considering these, it will be concluded that I am not guilty. I appeal to the court's conscience," and requested his acquittal.
HE RECEIVED A REDUCTION FOR CONFESSING ON LIVE BROADCAST The court panel sentenced Isa Dumlu to life imprisonment for the crime of 'Intentional Murder' due to the nature of the incident. Later, his sentence was reduced to 25 years in prison because he confessed to the murder and expressed remorse for the incident. The panel sentenced the other defendant, Yüksel Menderes Ürün, to life imprisonment for 'Intentional Murder' without applying any reduction. The decision was made to continue the detention of both defendants.
"WE WILL APPEAL THE DECISION" After the hearing, Ali Şadi Toklu, the lawyer of the murdered Mustafa Hakkulu's family, stated that the defendants committed the murder with premeditation and emphasized that the case was opened for "Intentional Murder," announcing that they would appeal the decision to the Regional Court of Appeals. Attorney Toklu said, "We believe that the defendants conspired to commit the murder together. The evidence supports us. Justice will prevail sooner or later. We will continue our legal struggle to ensure that both defendants receive aggravated life sentences," he said.