11.03.2026 19:32
Olgun Gacar, who has been charged with the crime of beating his ex-girlfriend Fatma Kara to death in the middle of the street, has appeared before the judge with a request for aggravated life imprisonment. Gacar stated, "When we were arguing, I said I wanted to break up after she told me 'you will divorce your husband.' I lost control when she started to insult me and use bad words."
Olgun Gacar, who is on trial for the aggravated life imprisonment sentence for killing his ex-girlfriend Fatma Kara (27) in the Ödemiş district of İzmir, appeared before the judge.
On March 11, 2025, an incident occurred on 2nd Bayındır Street in Türkmen Neighborhood; Fatma Kara and her ex-boyfriend Olgun Gacar met to talk, and a dispute broke out between them. As the argument escalated, Gacar repeatedly slammed Kara's head onto the ground. Upon the notification of the surrounding people, health and police teams were dispatched to the scene. Health teams determined that Kara had lost her life during their examination. Kara's lifeless body was taken to the İzmir Forensic Medicine Institution for an autopsy. Gacar, who was detained by the police, was arrested at the courthouse he was brought to. Kara's funeral was held in the Köşk district of Aydın.
HAD RECEIVED RESTRAINING ORDERS TWICE
The investigation initiated after Kara's death was completed, and an indictment was prepared. The indictment revealed that Gacar had previously subjected Kara to violence and that a restraining order had been issued against him twice upon the woman's complaint. It was also stated in the indictment that Gacar had come to where Kara was with a shotgun. The indictment also mentioned that Kara had become pregnant by Gacar and had terminated the pregnancy 20 days before the incident.
HIS STATEMENTS WERE FOUND CONTRADICTORY
The indictment included Gacar's statements as well. In his statement to the prosecutor, Gacar emphasized, "I did not intend to kill Fatma intentionally; I had no plan to kill her. On the day of the incident, we had an argument due to past issues. I lost my temper and lifted Fatma by her neck with my hand and threw her to the ground. Due to the impact, Fatma hit her head on the ground and could not move again. My intention was not to kill Fatma." The indictment pointed out that there were contradictions in the statements of the defendant Gacar in his police and prosecutor's statements.
"DEFENSES AIMED AT AVOIDING PUNISHMENT"
After examining the cameras showing the moment of the incident, it was noted that Gacar had dragged Fatma Kara by her neck for about 4 meters, then threw her to the ground, lifted her body three times, and slammed it down before leaving the scene. The indictment also stated that Kara had not made any attack against Gacar during the incident. While Gacar's defenses were evaluated as aimed at avoiding the charges against him, it was concluded that he had committed the crime of 'intentional killing of a woman.' Based on the collected evidence, an aggravated life imprisonment sentence was requested for Gacar.
"I LOST CONTROL WHEN INSULTS AND BAD WORDS WERE SAID"
Defendant Olgun Gacar appeared before the judge for the first time today at the Ödemiş 2nd Heavy Penal Court. The hearing was attended by the detained defendant Olgun Gacar, his wife Hatice Gacar, the brother of the murdered Fatma Kara, Necip Kara, her father Yılmaz Kara, her uncle Cahit Sönmez, and the lawyers of both parties. Tensions occasionally arose between the relatives of the murdered Fatma Kara and the defendant in the courtroom. When given the floor by the presiding judge, defendant Olgun Gacar stated that he wanted to talk by going to the house where Fatma Kara worked as a caregiver, saying, "We started walking for a while. When she told me 'you will divorce your wife' during our argument, I said I wanted to break up. When she started insulting and using bad words, I lost control. I pushed her down. I had no intention to kill. I learned that Fatma had died at the police station."
Yılmaz Kara, Fatma Kara's father, who was heard as a witness, stated that the defendant Gacar constantly threatened and pressured his daughter.
The prosecutor requested that the deficiencies be addressed and that the defendant's detention be continued due to the nature of the charges against him. The court panel decided to continue the detention of defendant Gacar and postponed the hearing.
"A DEFENSE THAT BLAMES THE WOMAN"
After the hearing, Fatma Kara's family's lawyer, Nevraz Sığın, stated that the defendant Gacar used a language that blamed the woman in his defense. Expressing that they often encounter similar defenses in cases of femicide, Lawyer Sığın said that the defendant attempted to gain unjust provocation mitigation through Fatma Kara's morality and private life. Lawyer Sığın noted that the defendant claimed that Kara had cheated on him and described their relationship as 'toxic.'
Lawyer Sığın pointed out that the defendant also made insinuations regarding Kara's pregnancy, stating, "A defense is being constructed based on the woman's body and morality to obtain unjust provocation mitigation. We are facing a type of defense that we frequently encounter in femicide cases."
Lawyer Sığın mentioned that there were some technical deficiencies in the case and that there were witnesses who needed to be heard, stating that the court requested a report from the Forensic Medicine Institution regarding the defendant's claim that he did not have a child. Lawyer Sığın also stated that the Kara family's expectation was for the defendant to be punished at the maximum level without any reductions.
"HE TRIED TO BLAME FATMA THROUGH HER HONOR AND MORALITY"
Tülin Osmanoğulları, the İzmir Representative of the We Will Stop Femicide Platform, stated that they would follow the case, saying, "Unfortunately, we encountered a defendant profile that we are not surprised by at all in this case. The defendant, who killed a woman in the middle of the street, presented himself in the courtroom in a very respectful manner with his suit and tie, resorting to the familiar defense methods of the male-dominated system, and tried to blame Fatma through her honor and morality."
Osmanoğulları expressed that the defendant made this defense to obtain unjust provocation mitigation, stating, "Every day, women are killed in this country. One of the main reasons for this is the policies of impunity and unjust provocation mitigations. We want a precedent decision to come out of this case."
"MY DAUGHTER WAS BRUTALLY MURDERED"
Yılmaz Kara, Fatma Kara's father, stated that his daughter was brutally killed by being slammed to the ground multiple times, saying, "The pain we are experiencing is immense. Our psychology has deteriorated; my son and I are receiving treatment. May God not give anyone the pain of losing a child. We stand behind our case until the end. We want the heaviest punishment to be given."
"WE WILL NEVER GIVE UP ON THIS CASE"
Necip Kara, Fatma Kara's brother, also claimed that the defendant Gacar gave statements in court that did not reflect the truth, saying, "We think he did this to obtain provocation mitigation. But we know our sister and we stand behind her. We will never give up on this case."