16.04.2025 10:53
The suspect, who killed his ex-wife by pouring gasoline on her and setting her on fire in Adana, was sentenced to life imprisonment with aggravated circumstances. Following the annulment of his sentence, he was retried in a local court. The suspect was again sentenced to life imprisonment with aggravated circumstances for the crime of "killing with monstrous feelings or inflicting torture."
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In the Söğütlü neighborhood of the Seyhan district in Adana, Muhammet Güleç and Fadime Korkusuz, who have two children and divorced by mutual consent, continued to live in the same house. Fadime Korkusuz, who works as an agricultural laborer, was allegedly subjected to frequent physical and psychological violence by Güleç, whom she accused of cheating on her.
HE KILLED HER BY POURING GASOLINE AND SETTING HER ON FIRE
Unable to endure the violence any longer, Korkusuz went to the police station on October 27, 2023, to obtain a restraining order against her ex-husband. On November 2, 2023, after sending their son E.G. to the market for shopping, Muhammet Güleç poured gasoline on Korkusuz and the belongings in the house and set them on fire. As the flames quickly engulfed the entire house, Güleç locked Korkusuz inside and fled in a car. Firefighters, alerted by neighbors, intervened and extinguished the fire before it spread to other houses. The teams that entered the house found Fadime Korkusuz severely injured in the bathroom where she had taken refuge. Korkusuz was taken to the hospital but could not be saved despite all medical interventions, passing away 36 days later.
THE 18TH CRIMINAL CHAMBER OVERTURNED THE LIFE SENTENCE
After suffering burns on his arms, Muhammet Güleç was arrested following his treatment in the hospital. He was tried at the Adana 1st Heavy Penal Court and was sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment for the crime of "Qualified Intentional Murder" under Article 82/1-c,d,f of the Turkish Penal Code (TPC) on April 4, 2024, for setting his ex-wife on fire and against a woman. He was acquitted of the charges of intentional injury and attempted robbery due to lack of evidence.
After the decision, the lawyer of the Ministry of Family and Social Policies and the victim's lawyers appealed to the Adana Regional Court of Appeal, which subsequently overturned the local court's ruling. In the reasoning for the overturning, the Chamber stated, "In the incident; the defendant's actions regarding the qualified forms of the crime of intentional murder regulated in Articles 82/1-c,d,f of the TPC, as well as the defendant's act of setting the victim on fire and leaving the victim in a wounded state during the burning, raises the question of whether the intent is related to the crime of murder with monstrous feelings or torture, and whether Article 82/1-b of the TPC should be applied to the defendant without discussing this, necessitated the overturning."
"I DO NOT ACCEPT THE ACCUSATION"
Following the overturning decision, Muhammet Güleç, who is accused of burning his ex-wife to death, appeared at the decision hearing in the Adana 1st Heavy Penal Court. In the hearing attended by the lawyers of both parties, the detained defendant Güleç stated, "I did not do anything. She poured gasoline on me. My arm and leg were burned. I did not do anything intentionally." In his final words, the defendant Güleç requested his acquittal, saying, "I do not accept this accusation. I am innocent."
HE WAS SENTENCED TO AGGRAVATED LIFE IMPRISONMENT AGAIN
The lawyer of the participant Önder Korkusuz, attorney Şirin Şeyma Bulut, stated that the defendant Muhammet Güleç was found in the house of the murdered Fadime Korkusuz despite the restraining order, that he killed her with monstrous feelings by setting her on fire, and that after the incident, he locked his wife in the house and did not inform anyone, showing no good faith, and requested the defendant to be punished at the highest level.
The public prosecutor, in his opinion on the merits, requested compliance with the overturning decision and that the defendant be punished for "Qualified Intentional Murder" regulated in Articles 82/1-c,d,f, as well as for "Murder with monstrous feelings and torture" under Article 82/1-b, and that the defendant's detention status be continued.
The court panel sentenced the defendant Muhammet Güleç to aggravated life imprisonment for the crimes of "Qualified Intentional Murder" against his ex-wife and women, as well as for "Murder with monstrous feelings and torture," and decided to continue his detention.
"IN MARCH ALONE, 18 WOMEN WERE MURDERED"
Before the hearing, the We Will Stop Femicide Platform made a press statement. The statement was read by Ecem Sena Mutlay, a representative of the We Will Stop Femicide Platform. Mutlay drew attention to the number of women murdered in March 2025, stating, "18 women were murdered, and 30 women were found dead under suspicious circumstances. As long as it is not determined who killed the women and why; as long as fair trials are not conducted and suspects, defendants, and murderers do not receive deterrent sentences, and preventive measures are not implemented, violence will continue to escalate." Saying, "Let’s walk this path together," Mutlay invited all women to join the We Will Stop Femicide Platform.
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