14.05.2026 13:20
The justification for the aggravated life sentence imposed on İsmail Kara for the crime of 'Intentional killing of a spouse and a woman' has been announced, after he killed his wife of 20 years, Selma Kara, who was in the process of divorce, with 58 stab wounds at their home in Ankara. In the reasoned decision, it was stated that the act of inflicting numerous stab wounds alone does not constitute the element of 'brutal instinct'.
In the Etimesgut district, on February 18, İsmail Kara went to the home of his wife Selma Kara to talk, despite the divorce case being completed but the divorce decisions not yet finalized. During an argument, İsmail Kara stabbed his wife 58 times, killing her. İsmail Kara was taken into custody and arrested. İsmail Kara, tried at the Ankara Western 3rd Heavy Penal Court, was sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment for the crime of 'intentional murder of a spouse and a woman' at the hearing on April 14.
HAD PREVIOUSLY WOUNDED HIS WIFE
The reasoning behind the verdict was announced. In the reasoned decision, it was stated that İsmail Kara and Selma Kara married in 2005, had two children from the marriage, and that in recent years, issues arose within the family due to the defendant's alcohol, gambling, and, according to his own statement, drug use. It was noted that the defendant had wounded his wife on October 4, 2024, before the incident, and due to this incident, the Ankara Western 14th Criminal Court of First Instance issued a decision to postpone the announcement of the verdict for the crime of 'intentional wounding of a spouse'. It was stated that the parties reconciled again with the intervention of family members, but unable to maintain the family unity, they mutually agreed to divorce. It was noted that the Ankara Western 6th Family Court's file dated February 11, 2025, decided on the divorce of the parties, but the divorce decision had not yet been finalized at the time of the incident.
21 INJURIES OF A LETHAL NATURE
In the decision, it was stated that the victim Selma Kara moved to a separate house on February 15, 2025, met with İsmail Kara at the home on the day of the incident, February 18, and during the argument, the defendant killed his wife. According to the autopsy report, it was reported that Selma Kara had 52 sharp force injuries and 6 incisions on her body, of which 21 were individually lethal, and death occurred due to internal and external bleeding caused by internal organ and major vessel injuries. It was also noted that after the incident, the defendant sent a message to his daughter saying 'I killed her, I murdered her'. The decision stated that the elements of 'premeditated murder' and 'murder with monstrous feeling' were not present, noting that for premeditation to be accepted, there must be planned and prepared action following a prior decision to kill, and that these conditions were not met in the concrete case. It was stated that the defendant striking numerous knife blows alone does not constitute the element of 'monstrous feeling', and there was no material evidence that he acted with the motive of killing for the sake of killing or deriving pleasure from it.
NO DISCOUNT APPLIED
The court also rejected the defendant's request to benefit from the provisions of unjust provocation. In the decision, it was stated that after past incidents, the parties reconciled and continued to live together, and there was no detectable behavior by the victim contrary to the duty of loyalty as reflected in the file. It was noted that on the day of the incident, the defendant claimed he went to help his estranged wife, and therefore, it could not be accepted that he acted under the influence of anger or severe distress. The court decided that defendant İsmail Kara be sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment for the crime of 'intentional murder of a spouse and a woman'. It was also stated that no discretionary reduction provisions were applied, considering the defendant's previous decision to postpone the announcement of the verdict for wounding his wife, the lack of a positive opinion showing remorse, and his personality.
LAWYER: A REMARKABLE DECISION
Hediye Gökçe Baykal, the lawyer for Selma Kara's family, stated that it is very important that the decision imposed an aggravated life imprisonment sentence without any reductions, saying, "One of the most debated issues in femicide cases for years has been the 'good conduct' and 'unjust provocation' discounts applied to perpetrators. Therefore, the court not applying any reduction in this case is a remarkable decision both legally and socially. It is now a well-known fact that women going through divorce processes are at serious risk. Unfortunately, for many women, wanting to separate or trying to have a say in their own lives can become a reason for violence. Therefore, the decisions in such cases affect not just one file but directly the society's sense of justice. What is truly needed regarding violence against women and femicides is the consistent continuation of a judicial approach that does not feed the perception of impunity and does not create excuses for perpetrators. I believe today's decision is important in this regard."