Explore 24 documented cases from Turkey. Each file separates established findings from allegations and unresolved questions, with a focus on investigation rather than graphic detail.
Ahmet Yıldız was shot dead in Istanbul in 2008 after reporting threats. His father Yahya Yıldız is the fugitive defendant in a murder case that remained unresolved in 2026 and has produced no conviction.
Open case file →American traveler Sarai Sierra disappeared during a trip to Istanbul in 2013. Ziya Tasalı was later convicted of deliberately killing her and received a life sentence.
Open case file →Architect Başak Cengiz was attacked by a stranger in Istanbul in 2021. Can Göktuğ Boz was convicted of aggravated murder and received aggravated life imprisonment; Turkey’s Court of Cassation upheld the sentence in 2024.
Open case file →Italian artist Pippa Bacca was murdered near Gebze in 2008 while traveling as part of a peace-art project. Murat Karataş was convicted of kidnapping, rape and murder, and his life sentence was upheld on appeal.
Open case file →Emine Bulut was killed by her former husband in Kırıkkale in 2019. Fedai Varan was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment, a judgment later upheld on appeal.
Open case file →Güldünya Tören survived an initial shooting in Istanbul in 2004 but was killed while hospitalized. Her brothers were convicted after retrial and the final sentences were upheld in 2009.
Open case file →University music student Ceren Özdemir was murdered outside her home in Ordu in 2019. Özgür Arduç was convicted and Turkey's Court of Cassation upheld his aggravated-life sentence.
Open case file →University student Şule Çet died after being thrown from a high-rise office in Ankara in 2018. Çağatay Aksu was convicted of murder and related offences and Berk Akand of aiding the crimes; Turkey's Court of Cassation upheld the sentences in 2022.
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Thirty-nine people were killed in Istanbul on New Year's Day 2017; gunman Abdulkadir Masharipov's convictions were upheld by Turkey's top appeals court in 2025.
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The attack on a peace rally killed 101 people; a 2024 retrial again produced major convictions while proceedings involving fugitive suspects remained unresolved.
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Thirty-five people inside the Madımak Hotel died in 1993; major convictions followed, while later limitation rulings and a 2026 constitutional decision left accountability incomplete.
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Forty-five people were killed at Istanbul Atatürk Airport; six defendants later received aggravated-life sentences in the main criminal case.
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Three aggravated-life convictions were upheld, while the legal classification of a fourth defendant's role remained under appellate review in 2026.
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Journalist Hrant Dink was assassinated outside the Agos office in Istanbul in 2007; convictions followed, while broader accountability unfolded through years of retrials.
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University student Özgecan Aslan was killed after resisting an assault while traveling home in Mersin Province in 2015.
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Seventeen-year-old Münevver Karabulut was murdered in Istanbul in 2009, and suspect Cem Garipoğlu remained a fugitive for months before surrendering.
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University student Pınar Gültekin disappeared in Muğla in 2020 and was later found dead, with suspicion focusing on a man with whom she had previously had a relationship.
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Atalay Filiz became one of Turkey’s most wanted fugitives after investigators linked him to several killings committed over a period of years.
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Hamdi Kayapınar was linked to a series of murders and robberies in and around Kayseri over many years.
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Adnan Çolak was convicted of murdering elderly women in Turkey’s Artvin region during the early 1990s.
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Süleyman Aktaş became notorious in Turkey for a series of killings that included a distinctive injury pattern highlighted in media coverage.
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Özgür Dengiz was convicted of multiple killings in Turkey and became especially notorious because of evidence that he mutilated and consumed part of one victim’s body.
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