Yavuz Yapıcıoğlu, the "Screwdriver Killer"

Yavuz Yapıcıoğlu, nicknamed the "Screwdriver Killer" for the weapon he often used, is considered the most prolific serial killer in Turkish criminal history. Police records connect him to eighteen killings committed between 1994 and 2002 across several Turkish cities, though his family and witnesses have claimed the true number may be far higher.

Pattern of violence

Many of the killings attributed to Yapıcıoğlu appeared to have little planning or clear motive, often arising from brief altercations that escalated into fatal violence.

Institutional history

Yapıcıoğlu was hospitalized in a psychiatric facility after an earlier violent incident and was released following a medical evaluation, after which further killings occurred. This pattern, in which he was repeatedly released from custody before committing further violence, has been cited in later analyses of gaps in the Turkish judicial and mental health systems.

Sentence

He was eventually convicted and sentenced to 40 years in prison.