Notorious murderer of teenage girlfriend found dead in prison

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Cem Garipoğlu was serving a 24-year jail sentence for murdering his 17-year-old girlfriend Münevver Karabulut in a case that had made national headlines. DHA Photo

Cem Garipoğlu, who was serving a 24-year jail sentence for murdering his 17-year-old girlfriend in a case that made national headlines, was found dead in his cell on Oct. 10 in an apparent suicide.

The body of Garipoğlu, who allegedly hanged himself, will be sent to forensics for an examination to confirm the cause of his death.

The murder case stayed in the spotlight for months after Garipoğlu, who came from a wealthy family with numerous business interests, successfully evaded police for 197 days after Münevver Karabulut’s body was found dismembered in a garbage can in an upmarket Istanbul neighborhood five years ago.

Karabulut’s family launched a huge campaign to bring Garipoğlu to justice at the time as the violence of the murder shocked the country.

Garipoğlu killed Karabulut after suspecting that she cheated on him, based on her text messages with other man.

Garipoğlu’s uncle and mother were also sentenced to three years in prison on charges of harboring a criminal and destroying evidence.

In a recent book published about the case, Karabulut’s father noted that he wished “this psychopath [Garipoğlu] would have killed himself.”

Garipoğlu’s death has also impacted social media, quickly becoming a worldwide trend.