The defendant accused of being responsible for her lover's mysterious death: I used to protect Sibel from my sight.

The boyfriend, who was arrested in connection with the shooting death of 25-year-old Sibel Kayman in the İzmit district of Kocaeli, appeared before a judge for the first time. The defendant claimed that they argued due to jealousy on the night of the incident and that Sibel took the gun in her hand and fired it, saying, "I do not accept the accusations. I protected Sibel from my eyes. She was my life, and I was her companion. We were going to get married, and being judged with this label while trying to get used to the absence of the woman I love devastates me. Being tried as her perpetrator for no reason crushes me."

In the incident that took place in a building in Erenler Neighborhood on December 4, 2023, Sibel Kayman (25) lost her life as a result of a bullet fired from her boyfriend Mikail K.'s unlicensed gun during an argument caused by jealousy. Mikail K., who was taken into custody after the incident, was arrested and sent to prison. The body of the young girl was buried next to her father, who was killed in a secret murder when she was only 52 days old.

"WE ARGUED WHEN SIBEL SAID, 'YOUR LOVE FOR THE BAR STREET IS NOT OVER YET'"

The trial of the case opened regarding the incident is being held at the Kocaeli 3rd Heavy Penal Court. The imprisoned defendant Mikail K., Sibel Kayman's foster family, witness Senem Y., and lawyers of the parties attended the hearing. Imprisoned defendant Mikail K. explained what happened on the date of the incident as follows: "On the date of the incident, I drank alcohol with a friend. When I talked to Sibel on the phone, she said she went home. She asked for alcohol. I sent her alcohol so she wouldn't spend money. Later, I got involved in a fight on the bar street. My clothes got stained with blood because my friend's finger was cut. We talked to the other side and resolved the issue. When I went home at night, Senem, Sibel's roommate, opened the door. Sibel was sitting on the couch in the living room. When she said, 'Where were you? Were you with other girls? Your love for the bar street is not over yet,' we argued, and I said, 'I will meet every girl that comes my way.' I told her that I got involved in a fight. I took off my sweater with bloodstains to wash it. I also took out the gun from my waist and put it on the coffee table. I also put the 4.5 bullets next to it. Sibel may have thought the gun was empty because I put the bullets on the table, but I knew it was loaded."

"I THOUGHT SIBEL FAINTED"

Mikail K., who claimed that Sibel took the gun while his back was turned, said, "Sibel suddenly took the gun and handed me the bullet. I tried to hold Sibel's arm with my right hand. At that moment, the gun went off, and I was injured in my right arm. When I said, 'What are you doing?' she collapsed on the floor. I didn't realize that Sibel was injured. I thought she fainted out of fear and panic due to the injury in my arm and the sound of the explosion. While I was taking care of my arm, Senem knocked on the door about 30 seconds later. I opened the door, but Sibel's feet were blocking it, so the door only opened halfway. When Senem asked what happened, I showed her my arm and said, 'My friend shot me.' When Senem entered, I thought Sibel had fainted, so I took the gun on the floor, thinking I would take it away from her, and put it on the couch. I also took out the bullets from her mouth."

"I PROTECTED SIBEL FROM MY EYES, SHE WAS MY LIFE, AND I WAS HER COMPANION"

Mikail K. continued his defense as follows: "When I went to Sibel, I saw the blood and cried, saying, 'How could you do this to me?' I told Senem to call the police and ambulance. I also asked for help from the people around and went back to Sibel. When I asked, 'Are you okay?' she just held my hand. When I asked, 'Can you hear me?' she nodded her head. When I got a reaction, I started shouting again to get help. The incident happened like this. I do not accept the accusations. I protected Sibel from my eyes. She was my life, and I was her companion. Being judged with this label while trying to get used to the absence of the woman I love devastates me. Being tried as her perpetrator for no reason crushes me. Why would I want to do such a thing when there was no problem between us?"

"I DON'T KNOW HOW SIBEL AND I GOT INJURED"

Mikail K., who stated that the gun was converted from blank firing, said, "I used to enter and leave the house with a gun all the time. I have gone home with a gun for 1.5 years, but I would hide it so that she wouldn't be curious about it. Sometimes I would give Senem the magazine to hide it. One month before the incident, Senem and Sibel wanted to see the gun. I gave them the empty gun, they took pictures, and even shared them on social media. The gun went off once during the incident. I don't know how Sibel and I got injured. Sibel did not have any physical contact with me in terms of assault. When I noticed that Sibel was injured, I panicked and damaged the items in the house."

Sevgi Kayman, Sibel's mother, who filed a complaint against the defendant, said, "We saw Mikail a few times when he dropped Sibel off at home, but we didn't know that she was staying with him. Sibel used to tell us that she would marry Mikail, but our families never met."

"I REALIZED THAT SIBEL COLLAPSED TO THE GROUND WITH THE SOUND OF THE GUN"

Witness Senem Y., who was heard, said, "On the date of the incident, at 02:00...I came home from work around 30. Sibel called Mikail about an hour later and said, "Why aren't you coming?" Mikail said he was involved in something and that he would come. When Mikail came home, Sibel got angry and said, "Why are you coming home at this hour? Are you chasing after girls?" It was a jealousy argument, but they made up afterwards. After that, I went upstairs. Five minutes later, I heard shouting. I heard Sibel's voice saying, "Leave the house," but I didn't hear the other voices. There were sounds of pushing and shoving. Then I heard a gunshot. I understood that Sibel had collapsed on the ground because I heard a "thud" sound. Normally, when Sibel and Mikail argued, they would lock the door because it was faulty. When I went downstairs, I knocked on the door and it opened 30-40 seconds later. Sibel was lying on the floor. When I entered, Mikail showed me his arm and said, "Sibel shot me while we were struggling." I said, "If Sibel shot you, why is she lying on the ground?" Sibel was lying face down. When I turned her over, my hand got covered in blood. I immediately went upstairs and called an ambulance from my phone. Mikail started screaming and asking for help when he realized that Sibel had been shot. The ambulance arrived 10 minutes later. During this time, Mikail was shouting for help and damaging the furniture by throwing things around. "Sibel's father was shot and killed, so she had no interest in guns," he said.

"SIBEL'S FATHER WAS SHOT AND KILLED, SO SHE HAD NO INTEREST IN GUNS"

Senem Y., who stated that she didn't know who locked the door on the day of the incident, said, "They usually locked the door when they fought. They would harm each other. Sibel had no interest in guns because her father was shot and killed. We might have taken a photo with Sibel and Mikail's gun once while we were drunk. I had seen Mikail come home with a gun occasionally. He would usually put it away himself, but we had a general idea of where he would put it. I don't remember if he asked me to hide his gun. When I came to the living room, the gun was on the single armchair. Sibel and Mikail were heavily intoxicated on the day of the incident." The court decided to continue the defendant's detention and adjourned the trial to a later date.