The father of Oğuz Murat Aci, who was killed in a high-speed crash in Istanbul’s Kemerburgaz district in 2024, has condemned as insufficient the prison sentences prosecutors are seeking for the parents of the teenage driver and demanded the “harshest possible punishment.”
According to the indictment prepared over the March 1, 2024, incident, 17-year-old Timur Cihantimur struck Oğuz Murat Aci with a luxury SUV, causing his death.
Prosecutors are seeking prison sentences of one to 10 years for Turkish novelist Eylem Tok, the suspect’s mother, cosmetic surgeon Bülent Cihantimur, his father, and two others — Adem Kızıltepe and Ayşe Ceren Saltoğlu — on charges of aiding the teenage driver’s escape and related offenses.
Berna Öcalgiray faces a separate charge of “destroying, concealing or altering evidence,” carrying a sentence of six months to five years.
A separate investigation is being conducted into Timur Cihantimur on charges of “causing death and injury by negligence.” The indictment has been submitted to an Istanbul Criminal Court of First Instance for review.
Following the crash, Timur Cihantimur and his mother fled to the United States, where their detention is ongoing.
Speaking to the local newspaper Milliyet, grieving father Özer Aci said the requested sentences fail to satisfy the family’s demand for justice. “We want justice. We want them to receive the heaviest penalty,” he said.
“Do you think a family that has lost a child would be satisfied with 10 years? It is impossible. We are not legal experts, but we have full confidence in the Turkish justice system.
Aci also criticized his late son’s wife for withdrawing her complaint and participating in the case as a complainant, alleging that a settlement was signed in exchange for financial compensation.
“Had that signature not been given, we would have been stronger,” he said, vowing to pursue the legal struggle to the end.
