ISTANBUL
A son of a prominent Turkish businessman serving 24 years for murdering and dismembering his 17-year-old girlfriend in 2009 has committed suicide in prison, Turkish judicial sources said on Friday.
Sources told an Anadolu Agency correspondent that the body of 23-year-old Cem Garipoglu was found on Friday morning in his cell in Istanbul’s Silivri prison; it is thought he committed suicide through asphyxiation.
Garipoglu had been jailed for the murder of 17-year-old Munevver Karabulut whose decapitated body was dumped in a trash container in Istanbul's Etiler district on March 4, 2009.
Her body had received multiple stab wounds was found stuffed inside a suitcase. Her head was later found in a guitar case in a separate garbage container nearby.
Garipoglu, who went missing after the killing, later confessed to murdering Karabulut suspecting that she had been cheating on him.
Her killing created a nationwide outrage; friends and family members launched one of the largest internet campaigns ever seen in the country to find the killer.
Turkish media outlets were filled with details of the murder, pictures of the teenage girl and weeping family members plus statements by the Turkish authorities.
After the campaign and media attention, Turkish officials expanded their investigation, even launching police operations in 16 cities to find Garipoglu.
Interpol, an international organization for police cooperation, also issued a red alert for Garipoglu’s arrest.
During the manhunt, some speculated that Garipoglu had been hiding in Russia or Armenia; others claimed that he was being hidden by his wealthy family.
Over six months after Karabulut’s body was found, Garipoglu finally surrendered to Turkish police on September 17.
After a high-profile murder trial, an Istanbul judge sentenced Garipoglu to 24 years in jail in 2011. Garipoglu’s uncle and mother were sentenced to three years imprisonment for destroying evidence linked to the case.
The Appeal Court approved the verdict on 30 March, 2012.
Following the criminal case, the Karabulut family launched a compensation lawsuit against Garipoglus. A court fined Garipoglu’s family 37,000 Turkish Liras ($16,207) for non-pecuniary damages and 1.25 million liras (approximately $550,000) for pecuniary damages on 8 October 2013.
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