Trial opens in shocking teen murder amid grave attack, threats

ISTANBUL

Judges on April 10 held the first hearing against the juvenile perpetrators involved in the harrowing killing of a 15-year-old boy in Istanbul in a case that has left Türkiye reeling.

Turkish-Italian teenager Mattia Ahmet Minguzzi was fatally stabbed by two peers on Jan. 24 in the Kadıköy district.

As the assailants are minors, the prosecution can seek a maximum sentence of 24 years due to Turkish legislation, which precludes life imprisonment for individuals under the age of 18, owing to mandatory age-related sentence reductions.

The inexplicable and brutal nature of the attack — carried out by complete strangers — has sparked widespread outrage across the country. Public indignation has only deepened upon learning that the perpetrators, shielded by juvenile statutes, cannot receive life sentences.

In a recent meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the victim’s family urged that the two suspects be tried as adults.

While the family continues to pursue legal recourse, they have reportedly been subjected to death threats over the past two months — allegedly emanating from individuals connected to the perpetrators.

On the eve of the April 10 hearing, the boy’s grave was desecrated in what is widely believed to be an act of intimidation.

The fence surrounding his burial site in Osmaniye Cemetery in the Bahçelievler district was found vandalized, with flowers uprooted and scattered. The perpetrators remain unidentified. The police conducted a site inspection in the morning as authorities launched an investigation into the incident.

Rezan Epözdemir, the family’s legal counsel, condemned the grave attack as a menacing gesture meant to intimidate the bereaved.

“We received the message loud and clear—but we are not afraid,” he said. “I have conferred with the presiding judge to ensure additional security measures are taken.”

Given the threats, the Minguzzi family arrived at the courthouse under police protection. They are demanding that the court refrain from granting sentence reductions to the defendants.

The two suspects, who had been held in separate juvenile detention centers — one in the central city of Kayseri, the other in the Black Sea province of Samsun — were recently transferred to Istanbul.

They are to remain at Maltepe Prison for the duration of the proceedings, estimated at 10 days.

The hearing comes in the wake of comments from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which has declared the Minguzzi case a potential turning point.

The government is drafting legislation that would allow harsher penalties — including life imprisonment — for juveniles found guilty of particularly egregious crimes.