In the first indictment Cem Garipoğlu, the main suspect in Karabulut’s murder, will be tried at İstanbul’s 1st Juvenile Court as he was under 18 years of age at the time of the crime. If found guilty, Garipoğlu faces between 18 and 24 years in prison.The second indictment, prepared for the other six suspects, was accepted yesterday by the İstanbul 7th High Criminal Court, which then sent the file to the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office to decide which court should hear the case. The indictments were prepared by public prosecutors Faruk Esen Yılmaz and Mustafa Öztürk and were examined by the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. Karabulut’s decapitated body was found in a bin in Etiler in March. Garipoğlu surrendered to police in September after more than six months on the run.
The indictment demands between 18 and 24 years’ imprisonment for Cem Garipoğlu on the charge of the premeditated murder of Münevver Karabulut. The penalty was reduced from life imprisonment because he was a minor when the murder took place. If convicted, Cem Garipoğlu’s father, Mehmet Nida Garipoğlu, faces aggravated life imprisonment on the charge of taking part in the premeditated murder of Münevver Karabulut.
Furthermore, the second indictment seeks the imprisonment of Hayyam Garipoğlu -- who is the uncle of Cem Garipoğlu -- Habib Kurt, Mehmet Karakayalı and Ahmet Batur for a period of between six months and five years on charges of helping the suspect evade police. Prosecutors are going to request the imprisonment of Garipoğlu’s mother, Tülay Makbule Garipoğlu, as she allegedly destroyed, hid and tampered with evidence.
Meanwhile, the Garipoğlu family’s lawyer, Rezan Özdemir, speaking to NTV, stated that she finds the indictments generally “positive” and added that there should be a debate as to whether the sentences demanded are just or not. “If someone who is over the age of 18 commits such a crime, the sentence is life imprisonment, but since Cem was under 18 he will be sentenced to between 18 and 24 years in prison,” she added, implying that this punishment is the maximum possible under the law.
