08.06.2025 16:53
New evidence has emerged in the case of 12-year-old Kerem Karakaya, who died in Yalova in 2018. F.B., a classmate of Kerem, is being prosecuted for "intentional murder." As the last images of the young boy have surfaced, the Karakaya family's lawyer, Şermin Tankut, stated, "Kerem saw something after looking out the balcony door, and then he was killed."
In Yalova in 2018, the last images of Kerem Karakaya (12), who was allegedly shot in the head by his classmate F. B., have emerged as the trial of F. B.'s mother, Serpil B., for the crime of 'Intentional Murder' began 7 years later. Autopsy photos showing the bruises on Karakaya's body and images of his muddy clothes were also included in the case file. Kerem's family's lawyer, Şermin Tankut, stated, "There are 4 fingerprints on Kerem's arm. The autopsy report states, 'There are no signs of beating.'"
The incident occurred on June 3, 2018, in Akköy, Termal district. Kerem Karakaya went to his school friend F. B.'s house around 08:00. According to the allegation, after a while, Karakaya was shot in the head by F. B., who was playing with a break-action shotgun in the woodpile section of the house, and he died. Due to F. B.'s lack of criminal capacity, his mother, Serpil B., began to be tried in Yalova 5th Criminal Court for the crime of 'Causing Death by Negligence.' The court reported the case to the Yalova Chief Public Prosecutor's Office due to the weight of the gun, the fact that it was fired twice, the changing of the cartridge, and the inability of the child involved to know the firing mechanism of the weapon, as well as the incomplete collection of evidence and the existence of suspicion of 'Intentional Murder.' The prosecutor's office, which completed the investigation, requested the arrest of Serpil B. for the crime of 'Intentional Murder' in the indictment it prepared. In line with the prosecutor's request, the file was transferred from Yalova 5th Criminal Court to Yalova 3rd Heavy Criminal Court after 7 years.
DENIED THE CHARGES Serpil B., the suspect who was tried without detention for 'Intentional Murder' starting on May 20, participated in the hearing via SEGBİS from Trabzon. Denying the murder allegation, Serpil B. stated that she was fasting on the day of the incident during Ramadan, went to bed with the morning call to prayer, and that besides her child, her sibling was at home, and she went outside after hearing the gunshot. She said, "It's a lie, that can't be. I am a mother too. I wish my child had died."
When asked about the gunpowder traces found on her, Serpil B. explained that she fired the gun 3-4 days prior to scare away wild animals because the house she was living in at the time was in a deserted area, stating, "I did not pull the cartridge after the incident. I don't remember, I might have held the gun. I might have touched everyone after the incident. I do not accept the crime." When asked about the report stating that her son F. B. could not load and fire the gun, she said the gun was light.
"KEREM WAS KILLED BECAUSE OF SOMETHING HE SAW" Kerem's father Halil and mother Rahime Karakaya requested the punishment of the suspect, while Şermin Tankut, the lawyer for the Karakaya family, pointed out inconsistencies in the statements given after the incident, saying, "Kerem saw something after looking out from the balcony door, then he was killed. There is mud and dragging marks on Kerem's clothes. There are 4 fingerprints at the Forensic Medicine. Someone held him, he was executed. We request the arrest of the suspect."
WALKED HOME WHEN HIS FRIEND DID NOT COME The court panel decided to continue the judicial control of the suspect and postponed the hearing; security camera footage emerged showing that Kerem Karakaya was waiting for his friend F. B. and walked home when he did not come. In the footage, it was seen that Kerem Karakaya waited for a while at the place he came with his bicycle to meet his friend, and when his friend did not come, he proceeded towards his home with his bicycle. In another footage, moments were captured when Kerem left his bicycle and walked towards F. B.'s house.
"WHY WAS AN AMBULANCE NOT CALLED FOR 15 MINUTES?" Lawyer Şermin Tankut stated that the statements given by the suspect did not match with the time and distance calculations made at the crime scene, noting that there was a 15-minute gap between the time the gunshot was heard and when the ambulance was called, and said:
"There are camera recordings of Kerem walking. Despite the camera recording, no reenactment has been done for 7 years. We did it with our own means. The father walked, we found a child and made him walk, we walked. The time it took for Kerem to reach the scene was 8 or 9 minutes. What does this mean? Kerem arrives at the scene at 08:33 or 08:34. In the statement of Ş. Y., who is a neighbor of F. B., it is said that there was a child walking towards the house when he returned to the dirt road that day. It takes a maximum of 3 minutes from that dirt road to F. B.'s house. Neighbor Ş. Y. stated that he passed Kerem with his car and parked in front of his house, went inside, opened the window, and heard a gunshot at that moment. In our opinion, the incident occurs around 08:38. Because Kerem's father is watching the incident at the hotel where he works, without knowing that it is his own child. After the gunshot, the father looks at his watch because he is going to make tea for the employees and wants to know if the time is delayed. He goes out to the balcony to throw the tea grounds. At 08:42, he sees the neighbor Ş. Y.'s car parked at the scene, with the back doors open. What does this mean? By 08:42, the child has already passed away. The time the ambulance was called is also 08:53. Why was an ambulance not called for 15 minutes? They say in their statements that they called immediately."
"THE CRIME SCENE HAS BEEN RAISED BY 19 CENTIMETERS" Lawyer Tankut also stated that 19 centimeters of concrete was poured and raised at the ground where Kerem Karakaya died, saying, "When we look at the photos of the crime scene, we see a window and a door. June 3, the weather is hot. The windows and curtains are probably open. The child would likely take 5 steps to go to the door, but maybe he looked through the window. We do not know what he saw when he looked through that window. We still do not know how many rooms that house has. We asked Serpil B. in court how many rooms there are. She said there are 3 rooms. But that house appears to be 1 room and 1 living room. We still do not know because no reenactment has been done in that house.
We requested a reenactment during the investigation phase. It has not been done yet. We made the request again at the last hearing. There is also this situation. If they were to go for the reenactment now, the crime scene has been raised by 19 centimeters. Concrete has been poured there. Since you took off on the night of the incident, why did you raise the 1.5 centimeters of concrete at the crime scene by 20 centimeters? Did you hide the pellets that came from the weapon? There is a ballistic report. The pellet that killed Kerem is a shotgun pellet. The birdshot found at the crime scene. There is not a single pellet found in Kerem's wound," he said.
While the autopsy photos showing bruises on Karakaya's body were submitted to the case file, lawyer Tankut pointed out that there were mud and mold traces on his clothes and that his underwear was torn, saying, "There are personal belongings that came out in the same bag. There is F. B.'s t-shirt along with Kerem's clothes and shoes. F. B.'s t-shirt is spotless. It looks like it was taken from the store and has been preserved for 7 years. All of Kerem's clothes, including his shoes and underwear, are covered in mold, mud, and rust. Kerem's belongings are in such a condition that there are drag marks," he stated.
"SAW SOMETHING THROUGH THE GLASS" Lawyer Tankut also mentioned that there are 4 fingerprints and bruises on Kerem Karakaya's right arm, saying, "In our opinion, Kerem saw something through the glass. Those inside saw what he saw, and Kerem ran towards the back of the house. During this time, his feet got completely soaked. He grabbed the rifle inside; we don't know if it was one person or two. Maybe there were more people in the house. When we look at the photos from the autopsy, we see that there are 4 fingerprints on Kerem's arm. He was held by his hand and arm and dragged. Despite the presence of 4 fingerprints, the autopsy report states, 'There are no signs of beating.' He was dragged and killed after being brought to the concrete ground at the crime scene. This is the conclusion we have reached," he expressed.