The Murder of Şule Çet

Şule Çet was a Gazi University student who was looking for work when she met Çağatay Aksu. In the early hours of May 29, 2018, she died after falling from a 20th-floor office in Ankara's Çankaya district. The early claim that she had taken her own life became the central issue investigators and courts had to test.

The investigation

Aksu and his colleague Berk Akand were investigated after Çet's death. Both denied criminal responsibility and the defence advanced a suicide theory. The prosecution relied on forensic findings, communications and other evidence to argue that Çet had been sexually assaulted, killed and thrown from the building, and that the scene had been manipulated to resemble suicide.

The case drew nationwide attention in Turkey, in part because Çet's death became associated with broader protests against violence toward women. That social impact is relevant context, but this page bases criminal responsibility on the court record rather than public campaigning.

Trial verdict

On December 4, 2019, Ankara's 31st Heavy Penal Court convicted Çağatay Aksu of intentional murder together with aggravated sexual assault and deprivation of liberty. He received life imprisonment for the murder plus additional prison terms totaling 12 years and six months for the other offences.

Berk Akand was convicted of aiding Aksu's crimes and received a total sentence of 18 years and nine months. The defendants had denied the accusations during the proceedings.

Appeal and final review

In June 2020, the Ankara Regional Court of Justice upheld the sentences. The case then reached the Court of Cassation. The chief public prosecutor at that court sought reversal of the discretionary reduction applied to Aksu, but the First Criminal Chamber ultimately upheld the existing sentences on December 23, 2022.

That final review is important because it distinguishes this case from one in which a trial conviction remains unsettled. The available appellate record supports classifying the case as Solved / Final convictions.

Later misinformation about custody

In November 2025, Turkey's Justice Ministry publicly denied social-media claims that Berk Akand had been released, stating that execution of his sentence was continuing. The ministry's intervention did not change the conviction; it clarified misinformation about custody status.

Timeline

1. May 29, 2018
   Şule Çet dies in Ankara

   The 23-year-old student dies after falling from a 20th-floor office in Çankaya.

2. 2018–2019
   Investigation and prosecution

   Aksu and Akand are charged as investigators reject the claim that the death should simply be treated as suicide.

3. December 4, 2019
   Trial convictions

   Aksu receives life imprisonment for murder plus additional terms; Akand receives 18 years and nine months for aiding the crimes.

4. June 17, 2020
   Regional appeal upheld

   The Ankara appellate court leaves the sentences in place.

5. December 23, 2022
   Court of Cassation upholds sentences

   Turkey's highest criminal appellate review confirms the prison terms.

6. November 16, 2025
   Justice Ministry corrects release claim

   The ministry says Akand remains in custody and his sentence continues to be executed.

Current status

Çağatay Aksu's life sentence and additional prison terms, along with Berk Akand's 18-year-nine-month sentence, were upheld by the Court of Cassation in December 2022. The criminal case is therefore classified here as Solved / Final convictions.