Turkish man on trial for encouraging girlfriend to jump off bridge in fatal bet

Umut Berkutay (R) and his girlfriend Nazan Dedeoğlu

A prosecutor in Istanbul has indicted a man over the death of his girlfriend who jumped off a bridge after making a bet with him.

The 24-year-old man, identified as Umut Berkutay, was returning home with his girlfried, Nazan Dedeoğlu, after a dinner in Kumkapı district on April 16 when they initiated a deadly bet on an overpass.

The couple debated whether they could jump off the overpass and the 23-year-old woman agreed, according to the indictment by the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor’s Office.

Seconds after the man jumped off the overpass, Dedoğlu jumped and was seriously injured. She died later in the hospital.

Berkutay, who was conditionally released after the arrest, claimed the woman had jumped off the bridge while he was waiting for a taxi below.

Dedeoğlu’s father, however, said the man might have pushed the woman to her death as he had allegedly beaten her in the past.

The prosecutor’s office recently filed the indictment, demanding the court to punish the man for encouraging her to commit suicide.

Berkutay, who is free pending trial, will face the Istanbul Court of Criminal Peace judge in the coming days.