Life imprisonment sought for murder suspect with samurai sword

ISTANBUL

A local court has accepted an indictment for the brutal murder of a woman with a samurai sword in Istanbul last month.

The indictment seeks an aggravated life sentence and additional seven years of jail time for Can Göktuğ Boz, a man who attacked and killed 28-year-old architect Başak Cengiz with a samurai sword while she was walking on a street on Nov. 9.

The suspect killed the victim, whom he did not know before and did not have any enmity with, for instinctive satisfaction, according to an assessment in the indictment.

The suspect had no reason to commit the crime other than the monstrous feeling, it added, stressing the way the crime was committed and the gravity of the act.

Boz will appear in court on Feb. 25, 2022, with the charges of “premeditated monstrous or tormented killing,” “threat with gun” and “possession of prohibited knives and other tools in large quantities.”

The brutal murder of the architect had triggered widespread outrage in Turkey, with many, including officials and politicians, expressing their anger.

At least 401 women have been killed so far in 2021 in the country, according to the We Will Stop Femicides Platform (Kadın Cinayetlerini Durduracağız Platformu).