Garipoğlu, who surrendered to police after nearly six months on the run, is facing murder charges for the brutal killing of Karabulut as a minor as he appears to have been 17 at the time of the murder. A bone test demanded by lawyers for the victim’s family to establish whether he really was a minor reportedly confirmed the information in his ID documents.
Garipoğlu was handed over to the police by a family lawyer in İstanbul’s Bahçelievler district on Sept. 17. Many questions remain unanswered regarding Garipoğlu’s six-month absence, such as where he lived while he was in hiding, who helped him get to the place where he hid, whether he left İstanbul during this period, the identity of the person who called the family lawyer to hand Garipoğlu over and how Garipoğlu communicated with his family during this period. News reports have said Garipoğlu was found after a lengthy investigation involving the close monitoring of 47 people. This included intercepting phone calls of individuals suspected of harboring Garipoğlu and watching their homes and offices as well as their movements.
Garipoğlu’s father, Nida Garipoğlu, who had been arrested on charges of aiding and abetting in the aftermath of his son’s disappearance after Karabulut was murdered, is also jailed in Silivri Prison.
