Buried with her secret, slain Turkish singer ‘knew murderer’

Çetin Aydın / Fırat Alkaç - ISTANBUL

A well-known Turkish singer and songwriter, who was found brutally murdered at her house in Istanbul’s Taksim neighborhood late on May 5, knew her killer, according to the initial findings of the police investigation, but her “secret” remains unknown.

The body of 39-year-old Değer Deniz was discovered by her younger brother when he had a locksmith open the door of her house after the singer’s family had been unable to contact her throughout the day. 

Police sources speaking to daily Hürriyet stressed that the door of the rented apartment where Deniz lived had not been forced and none of her belongings were stolen, hinting that she opened the door herself.

The killer or killers tied her hands with the cable of a cellphone charger at one point before strangling her with the strap of her bag.

“She had rented the place two years ago. She said she had been working at a hotel,” the victim’s landlord Mustafa Tanrıverdi said, adding that police took the testimonies of other residents in the building, some of whom are renting rooms daily.

The investigation is continuing and police are currently examining Deniz’s cellphone and computer for possible clues.

Deniz’s rock band broke up with member’s death

Six years ago, Deniz’s rock band, Metro, broke up after the death of one of its members, Burak Terek, who had fallen to his death from the balcony of his ninth floor apartment during an asthma attack.

While speaking about Terek’s death in an interview with daily Habertürk shortly afterward, Deniz said she “had a secret that washed ashore the coasts of the city.”

Several famous Turkish singers, including Şevval Sam and Kenan Doğulu, released condolence messages after the death of Deniz, whose funeral followed an autopsy on April 6.

According to the initial findings reported by daily Habertürk, Deniz was not sexually assaulted before the murder.

The singer released her latest album on 2012, composed songs for TV dramas, and was continuing to take the stage at venues around Istanbul. Her music incorporated several genres, including alternative progressive rock and trip-hop.