Months of stalking and threats
Before the murder, Hümeyra had reported stalking and threatening behavior by Bekir E., a significantly older former partner. He had previously been convicted for threatening and assaulting her and was subject to a contact ban. Contemporary reporting records that Hümeyra again approached police after he violated that restriction.
The broader handling of her warnings later became the subject of official scrutiny. Dutch authorities acknowledged serious failures in coordination among agencies that had contact with Hümeyra. That institutional history is relevant because her death was not preceded by a single isolated incident: she had repeatedly sought protection.
December 18, 2018
On December 18, 2018, Bekir E. went to the area of Hümeyra's school in Rotterdam. The Hague Court of Appeal later found that he left home carrying a loaded firearm and positioned himself near the school around break periods in preparation for a confrontation.
Shortly after 1 p.m., he saw Hümeyra, pursued her into the Designcollege and shot her in the school's bicycle-storage area. She died at the scene. The final appellate court found that the preparation and sequence established premeditation.
First judgment and appeal
The first-instance court convicted Bekir E. of manslaughter rather than premeditated murder and sentenced him to 14 years in prison with compulsory psychiatric treatment. Prosecutors appealed the legal classification and sentence.
On June 25, 2021, the Hague Court of Appeal convicted him of murder. The court concluded that the evidence showed he had deliberately prepared for the encounter and had sufficient opportunity for reflection. It imposed 20 years in prison and a TBS order with compulsory treatment.
The judgment becomes final
On July 12, 2021, Dutch public broadcaster NOS reported that Bekir E. would not file a cassation appeal with the Supreme Court. His lawyer confirmed that he accepted the appellate sentence despite disagreeing with the murder classification. Because no cassation appeal was filed, the appellate judgment became the operative final criminal outcome.
The distinction matters editorially: the initial 14-year manslaughter judgment was not the final result. The case is therefore summarized according to the 2021 murder conviction and 20-year sentence with compulsory treatment.
Timeline
2018: Hümeyra reports stalking and threats; Bekir E. is subject to a contact ban.
December 18, 2018: Hümeyra, 16, is murdered at the Rotterdam Designcollege.
2019: the first-instance court convicts Bekir E. of manslaughter and imposes 14 years plus compulsory psychiatric treatment.
June 25, 2021: the Hague Court of Appeal convicts him of murder and increases the prison term to 20 years, with TBS and compulsory treatment.
July 12, 2021: his lawyer confirms that no cassation appeal will be filed, leaving the appellate judgment in force.
Current status
The case is classified as Solved / Adjudicated. Bekir E. was finally convicted of Hümeyra Ergincanli's murder. The final sentence reflected both imprisonment and compulsory psychiatric treatment. Later public discussion about failures in the response to Hümeyra's stalking reports does not alter the criminal responsibility established by the court, but it remains an important part of understanding the case.