02.11.2026 16:31
Ömer Can Çınar, 23, appeared before a judge in Mersin, where he is on trial on charges of murdering his imprisoned older brother’s wife, 25-year-old Aygül Çınar, and her mother, 53-year-old Türkan Söylemez, with prosecutors seeking two aggravated life sentences. It emerged that the defendant had been released from prison three days before the incident and had threatened his sister-in-law while in prison.
In the case concerning the killing of a mother and daughter in Mersin last year, the defendant, the complainants, and the witnesses were heard. The court adjourned the hearing to remedy the deficiencies in the case file.
ARMED ATTACK AT MIDNIGHT
An armed attack occurred at a house on 5720 Street in the Gündoğdu Neighborhood of the Akdeniz district last year on July 26 at around 00:30. According to the allegation, Ömer Can Çınar shot his sister-in-law Aygül Çınar and his mother Türkan Söylemez with a gun and fled.
Teams were dispatched to the address following a report by neighbors. Medical personnel determined that Türkan Söylemez, who was shot in the head, had died. Aygül Çınar, who was taken to the hospital, could not be saved despite all interventions.
CAUGHT WHILE PREPARING TO FLEE ABROAD
Teams from the Homicide Bureau Office of the Public Security Branch Directorate of the Provincial Police Department determined, as a result of physical and technical surveillance, that Ömer Can Çınar, who was identified as preparing to flee abroad, was hiding in a house in the Viranşehir Neighborhood of the Mezitli district.
At dawn, teams conducting an operation with the support of Special Operations and drones detained Çınar and A.K., S.T., and Ö.İ.A., who were determined to have helped him hide. During a search of the house, the weapon considered to have been used in the incident and some narcotic substance were seized.
Çınar and A.K., who were referred to the courthouse, were arrested. S.T. and Ö.İ.A. were released subject to judicial control conditions.
TWO AGGRAVATED LIFE SENTENCES SOUGHT
A lawsuit was filed against Ömer Can Çınar seeking two aggravated life sentences for the crimes of “premeditated intentional killing of a woman,” “purchasing, transporting, or possessing bullets with unlicensed firearms,” and “trading in or supplying narcotic or stimulant substances.”
The detained defendant Çınar attended the hearing at the Mersin 5th Heavy Penal Court via SEGBİS. The parties’ lawyers and the relatives of the deceased mother and daughter were present in the courtroom.
“HE WAS CONSTANTLY THREATENING HER EVEN WHILE IN PRISON”
Complainant Ayşe Adıyaman, who stated at the hearing that she was Aygül Çınar’s sister and Türkan Söylemez’s daughter, said she was complaining about the defendant. Claiming that the defendant constantly threatened Aygül Çınar in particular, Adıyaman said, “He kept threatening her, saying, ‘Why don’t you go to your parents? Why are you staying at your mother’s house?’ I am a witness to these threats. The defendant had been released from prison about 3 days before the incident. He was constantly threatening her while in prison as well.”
“SHE RETURNED FROM THE PRISON VISIT DISTRAUGHT”
Complainant Sabiha Atmacasoy, the sister and aunt of the deceased, recounted that Aygül Çınar began staying with her mother after her husband was imprisoned. She said that her husband’s family wanted to take Aygül Çınar to their own home, and that there were therefore constant arguments between the families.
Atmacasoy stated that 2 days before the incident, Aygül Çınar went with her father-in-law and mother-in-law to visit her husband in prison, and said, “When she returned, she was very distraught. My knowledge and observations regarding the incident consist of this.”
NEIGHBOR: WHEN I SAW THE GUN, I GRABBED MY CHILD AND RAN
Witness Roza Dirli, a neighbor of the victims, recounted that she went to their house on the day of the incident and that the defendant, Aygül Çınar, and Türkan Söylemez were in the house. She said that a normal conversation took place between the parties, that there was no argument or shouting, and that the defendant drank coffee with them.
Dirli stated that while she was about to leave the house, she saw the defendant’s gun as he was tying his shoelaces, and said, “I got scared when I saw the gun and grabbed my child and ran. During this time, there was no shouting between the victim and the defendant; they did not argue.”
“HE WAS THREATENING HER, SAYING ‘IF YOU DIVORCE, I WON’T LET YOU LIVE’”
Witness Hadice Karataş, a friend and neighbor of Aygül Çınar, said that the victim had told her that her husband had received a life sentence and that she therefore wanted to separate. Karataş said, “She told me that her husband threatened her on the phone, saying, ‘If you divorce, I won’t let you live.’ She was also very afraid of her brother-in-law. I know that her brother-in-law threatened her, but I do not know the content of the threats. I know that they said things like, ‘If you divorce, we won’t let you live; we’ll take the children.’”
DEFENDANT’S “FOR A REDUCTION” DEFENSE
After the witnesses were heard, the defendant Ömer Can Çınar took the floor and did not accept the statements. Çınar said, “I do not agree with the witnesses’ statements. It is completely slander and fabrication. I committed a crime I should not have committed; I regret it.”
“THE REAL ARCHITECT OF THIS PLOT IS THE VICTIM’S HUSBAND”
Participating lawyer Sebahat Gençtarih argued that the murder should not be assessed solely through the defendant. Seeking the inclusion of the victim Aygül Çınar’s husband in the case file, Gençtarih requested that an additional indictment be drafted and that the husband also be tried as a defendant.
Claiming that the defendant was incited, Gençtarih said, “The real architect of this plot is the victim’s husband. After the defendant was released from prison, he obtained a weapon and a vehicle and committed this murder. The people in the vehicle were also aware of the incident.”
HEARING ADJOURNED
The court panel adjourned the hearing to remedy the deficiencies in the case file.