The Turkish man accused of shooting his ex-fiancee dead in the street last week was previously detained for stalking her five years ago.
The suspect, named as Baris Can Ucuk, 24, is alleged to have ambushed his ex-fiancee Raziye Oskay, 25, when she left home to go to work in the neighbourhood of Huseyin Okan Merzeci in the district of Toroslar in the port city of Mersin in the south-central Turkish province of the same name on 10th January.
The suspect is alleged to have pulled out a gun and repeatedly shot his ex-fiancee, who collapsed to the ground. An ambulance was called to the scene by eyewitnesses, and she was taken to the Mersin University Faculty of Medicine Hospital, where she succumbed to her wounds despite receiving medical assistance.
The suspect, who fled the scene after the shooting, was arrested and taken to a police station for questioning.
He was then taken to court, where the authorities decided to keep him in custody until the investigation is concluded.
According to reports, the suspect was jailed for six weeks on charges of attempted murder and threatening behaviour with a firearm after an attack at Raziye’s house in 2017.
The victim’s family’s lawyer Isil Akan said: “The same person attacked Raziye’s house with a gun five years ago.
“He continued regularly, and lawsuits, complaints, and restraining orders did not stop the perpetrator.
“In recent years, Raziye, out of fear of her life, decided to change her personal details as a last resort, such as her phone number, etc.
“She then settled in Istanbul and started to work there for a while. However, he found Raziye there and started to go to and from her workplace.
“Realising she could not escape Baris Can Ucuk, she returned to Mersin to live with her family.
“After his release, he always violated his parole and came to Raziye’s workplace every day and continued to send her threatening messages.
“Even though we filed complaints that Raziye was no longer safe, the perpetrator was not arrested, unfortunately.
“He never stopped and eventually murdered the young woman in the middle of the street.”
Raziye was buried at the Nacarli Cemetery in the district of Akdeniz after an emotional funeral service.
The investigation into the alleged murder continues.
Femicide is a growing problem in Turkey, particularly after the country officially quit the Istanbul Convention in July last year.
According to the 2021 Annual Data Report announced by the ‘We Will Stop Femicide Platform’, 280 women were killed by men in 2021, while 217 women were found suspiciously dead.
