Supreme Court upholds aggravated life sentence for brother-in-law in Pınar Damar murder

In the case of Pınar Damar, who disappeared in Bağcılar, Istanbul in 2022 and was found dead, the Supreme Court upheld the aggravated life sentence and 15-year prison term given to her brother-in-law Metin Aydın.

Scraper SystemJuly 31, 2026, 11:49 AM

Supreme Court upholds aggravated life sentence for brother-in-law in Pınar Damar murder

The body of 32-year-old Pınar Damar, who was reported missing on July 18, 2022 in Bağcılar, was found in a vacant lot. The investigation determined that the suspect was her brother-in-law Metin Aydın, who had also participated in the search efforts. A forensic examination revealed that Damar had been sexually assaulted and died by strangulation. Metin Aydın was taken into custody and a lawsuit was filed against him.

Aggravated life sentence and 15 years in prison

In the trial held at the Bakırköy 23rd High Criminal Court, the verdict announced on March 21, 2024 sentenced defendant Metin Aydın to aggravated life imprisonment for 'intentional killing of a woman' and 15 years in prison for 'aggravated sexual assault.' The court did not apply any sentence reduction.

Upon appeal, the Istanbul Regional Court of Justice 1st Criminal Chamber reviewed the file and rejected the appeals on the merits. After an objection to the appellate decision, the file was sent to the Supreme Court for cassation review.

Supreme Court: No premeditation

The Supreme Court 1st Criminal Chamber, reviewing the file, found the local court's decision lawful.

The ruling stated that the trial process was conducted in accordance with procedure and law, the evidence in the file was collected completely, and the verdict was based on concrete evidence. The chamber ruled that it was proven by the evidence in the file that Metin Aydın committed the crimes of 'intentional killing of a woman' and 'aggravated sexual assault' against Pınar Damar.

The decision noted that there was no conclusive and indisputable evidence that the defendant had premeditated the murder, and therefore the conditions for the crime of 'premeditated murder' were not met. It was also emphasized that there was no reason to apply unjust provocation provisions in favor of the defendant, and that the local court's decision not to apply discretionary reduction was lawful.

In line with these assessments, the Supreme Court upheld the aggravated life sentence and 15-year prison term for Metin Aydın.

Supreme Court upholds aggravated life sentence for brother-in-law in Pınar Damar murder