The killer of Ramazan Pişkin took refuge in the excuse of 'sexual abuse': I committed the act under that psychological state.

The trial of the detained defendant Erkan Baykut was held at the 3rd Heavy Penal Court in Istanbul. The lawyers of the party and Mehmet Pişkin, the brother of Ramazan Pişkin, were present in the courtroom.

"I COMMITTED THE ACT WITH THE PSYCHOLOGY OF A PERSON WHO HAS BEEN SEXUALLY ABUSED"

The defendant Erkan Baykut stated that he graduated from middle school and worked with his father in construction. In his defense during the trial, Baykut said, "I was under the influence of drugs. I mistook Saboor Murad for Ramazan Pişkin. I committed the act under the psychology of a person who has been sexually abused. I didn't know Ramazan Pişkin before. When I entered, I threw a stone at him. When he tried to defend himself, out of fear, I defended myself with a knife. I don't remember how many times I stabbed him. After the incident, I ran away from there. I completed my military service. I didn't receive any psychological treatment or take any medication before the incident. I don't have any medical reports regarding my psychological condition. My parents are separated, and I used to stay on the streets, sometimes with my mother and sometimes at my father's shop. I had seen Ramazan Pişkin on social media before. I had been using drugs since 2017. I don't belong to any religious institution. Sometimes I watched religious programs on TV to improve my religion. No one directed me for this incident," he said.

"I AM COMPLAINING AGAINST THE DEFENDANT AND THE INSTIGATORS"

Mehmet Pişkin, the brother of Ramazan Pişkin, who was complaining, said, "I was in Diyarbakır on the day of the incident. I am complaining against the defendant and the instigators. I want him to be punished severely. My brother had no enmity with anyone. He used to stay in the prayer position for 3-4 minutes. My brother was killed while in the prayer position. My brother was killed with a knife in a planned manner," he said.

"THE DEFENDANT RAN PAST ME WHEN I WENT OUTSIDE THE SHOP"

Ibrahim Baştürk, who testified as a witness, said, "I don't know the defendant. I was sitting in my shop on the day of the incident. The shops of the victim and mine are next to each other. There was a noise. I said, 'Are they beating up the teacher?' When I went outside the shop, the defendant ran past me quickly. I didn't see if he had a knife in his hand. When I entered the shop, the victim was lying on the ground covered in blood. He was in the prayer position on the wooden floor, and the victim was next to him on the ground. His sleeves were rolled up, and he didn't have shoes on. I called out to the teacher, but there was no response, so I called an ambulance. He was lying on his side, and I checked his pulse by laying him flat and covering him with something. His pulse was beating, and shortly after, an ambulance arrived and took him to the hospital. I hadn't seen the defendant before. The incident happened within 10-15 seconds," he said.

REQUEST FOR AGGRAVATED LIFE IMPRISONMENT

The prosecutor announced his opinion. In the opinion, it was stated that the defendant watched videos of Ramazan Pişkin on social media, and a few days before the incident, he visited the victim's workplace for reconnaissance. It was stated that he planned and carried out the act of killing Ramazan Pişkin with a knife, which had the ability to kill with a single blow, when he saw him alone at his workplace. The prosecutor demanded aggravated life imprisonment for the defendant Erkan Baykut for the crime of "premeditated murder." In his defense against the opinion, the defendant Baykut said, "I didn't commit premeditated murder. I didn't give contradictory statements."

CONTINUATION OF DETENTION DECISION

The court decided to continue the detention of the defendant Erkan Baykut. The court accepted the defense lawyer's request to make a defense against the opinion and adjourned the trial.

INDICTMENT

In the indictment prepared by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it was stated that an investigation was initiated upon receiving information that Ramazan Pişkin, the owner of the business named "Diyarbakırlı Ramazan Hoca'nın Yeri," was injured with a knife and taken to the hospital.

In the indictment, it was mentioned that Ramazan Pişkin died in the hospital, and Ibrahim Baştürk, who was asked for an eyewitness statement, stated that he saw a man with a knife and saw Ramazan Pişkin injured on the ground when he checked the tea shop. In the camera investigation conducted regarding the incident, it was determined that the suspect got on a municipal bus, got off at the İplikçi bus stop on Bahariye Avenue in Beyoğlu, and moved towards Hacı Hüsrev Street in İstiklal Neighborhood. It was stated that the suspect Erkan Baykut, who was located at Sebilci Street No. 16 in İstiklal Neighborhood, was caught hiding in the bathroom of the house.

In the suspect's statement, he claimed that he didn't know the victim Ramazan Pişkin, mistook him for someone named Saboor Murad, who he knew, and that this person was someone who sold drugs and sexually abused others, and that they gave him drugs and believed that he had been cursed since 2021. The suspect Baykut, who said that he had seen Ramazan Pişkin at the business named "Ramazan Hoca'nın Yeri," which was 5 minutes away from his father's workplace about 2 months ago, stated that he initially saw him as a good teacher, but realized that this person was actually Saboor Murad during their conversation, and upon that, he remembered the harm that Saboor Murad had caused him, and on the day of the incident, he threw a stone first, and when Pişkin approached him, he stabbed him out of the fear that he could harm him and ran away. It was determined that the suspect had not been seen at the scene before. In the examination of multiple phone numbers determined to be used by the suspect, it was stated in the indictment that no suspect was identified in the call detail records related to the incident. The indictment, in which Ramazan Pişkin's brothers are listed as complainants, requests that the suspect Erkan Baykut be punished with life imprisonment for the crime of "intentional murder."