Murder suspect accuses ‘genie’ of killing Turkish woman

ISTANBUL

Concerning yet another woman’s murder in Turkey, the suspect in Istanbul has pleaded not guilty by accusing a “genie” of killing his girlfriend.

The body of 35-year-old Fatma Şerban was found in a residence in Istanbul’s Ümraniye neighborhood in September 2014. Her boyfriend, 33-year-old Köksal Şahin, was detained in the western province of İzmir and confessed to the murder in his initial testimony.

On the first day of his trial at the 2nd Anadolu Heavy Penal Court, however, Şahin pleaded not guilty, according to Doğan News Agency. “As far as I understood, a genie attacked her,” Şahin told the court, claiming Şerban slit her own throat and stabbed herself in the stomach during their quarrel.

Şahin detailed his supernatural explanation by adding that Şerban had an episode of mania after she saw the Islamic amulet on his neck and was “saying something in Arabic” during the episode.

He further claimed that he then found himself in an İzmir hostel hundreds of kilometers away from the crime scene, because he was “also attacked by the genie.”

The trial is ongoing, as prosecutors demand the court to send Şahin to jail for life with an aggravated sentence for murder, as well as an additional 8.5-18 years for stealing Şerban’s valuable items after the murder.