Turkish director stabbed to death by extra in Istanbul

Çetin Aydın – ISTANBUL

Turkish director Mustafa Kemal Uzun was stabbed to death in Istanbul on Dec. 10 by an extra who had a role in one of his TV series.

The homicide occurred in Istanbul’s Şile district. Uzun had been well-known for his movies and TV series.

Police were informed about the murder at 2:00 a.m. on Dec. 10 and arrived at the scene to find him dead in his home.

The 58-year-old director had been stabbed in the back multiple times and hit in the head with a baseball bat. Police also noticed his wallet and mobile phone were missing, as well as his vehicle.

After examining surveillance cameras and interviewing witnesses, police were able to detect the suspect.

The suspect was detained in Istanbul’s Beylikdüzü district a couple of hours after the murder.

Uzun’s mobile phone was found in the suspect’s pocket. He also described the spot where Uzun’s vehicle was parked.

The suspect confessed to the crime during his testimony, saying that an argument had ignited between them after they drank alcoholic beverages.

“I play a role as an extra in a TV series directed by Mustafa Kemal Uzun. I met with Mustafa Kemal Uzun at noon yesterday. We talked and went to Şile. We had a cup of coffee there. Then we had dinner at a fish restaurant. Afterwards, we went to Uzun’s house. We drank alcohol there. We had an argument while we were talking. I was so angry, I stabbed him and then I hit him with a baseball bat,” he said.

Uzun’s body was taken to a forensic institute morgue for examination.

Meanwhile, the director’s big brother Fazıl Uzun said the loss of his brother was a terrible time for them.

“We learned the news at 5:00 a.m. We arrived here immediately and witnessed this terrible situation. I cannot say anything. He was my only brother,” he said.

Uzun was born in the northwestern province of Balıkesir. He graduated from Istanbul University. He started to work on movie sets while he was a student. He directed a total of 49 movies and TV series during his career.

He also won eight national and international awards.