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Murder of Pınar Gültekin

SOLVED2020Yerkesik, Menteşe, Muğla Province, Turkey3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

Pınar Gültekin, born 1 October 1993, was a student at Muğla University's School of Economics. On 16 July 2020, she left her home in the Akyaka neighborhood of Ula, a town in Muğla Province, Turkey, where she lived alone. When she could not be reached by family and friends, her younger sister and mother traveled to Muğla, reported her disappearance to the Akyaka Gendarmerie General Command, and appealed for public help on social media.

On 21 July 2020, Gültekin's body was found in the rural neighborhood of Yerkesik in Menteşe, discovered in a plastic box in a forested area. The main suspect identified in the case was Cemal Metin Avcı, 32 at the time, who was married and a father of two. In his testimony, Avcı stated he wanted to rekindle a past relationship with Gültekin, and that after she refused, an argument led him to beat her unconscious before she was strangled. Gültekin's family disputed his account of a relationship, describing him instead as a jilted stalker who had met her at a bar and began obsessively messaging her; her father said Avcı killed her after she blocked him on social media.

Investigators determined that Avcı purchased two bottles of gasoline from a gas station the day of the killing and attempted to destroy evidence by burning Gültekin's body in a garbage barrel in the forested area before pouring concrete over it. Asked why he committed the murder, Avcı said he "killed her in a moment of anger." The Gültekin family's lawyer, Rezan Epözdemir, said the family believed the murder was premeditated and involved other people, and conveyed these suspicions to the prosecutor.

Avcı was initially sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment, later reduced to 23 years on grounds of "unjust provocation" by the victim. At a hearing on 20 June 2022 before the Muğla 3rd High Criminal Court, Avcı's brother — previously sentenced to life imprisonment for allegedly aiding the murder — was acquitted, as were Avcı's mother, father, ex-wife, and partner on charges of destroying and concealing evidence. The İzmir Regional Court of Appeal later overturned that court's decision, reinstating aggravated life imprisonment for Avcı and sentencing his brother to four years for concealing evidence. In February 2025, Turkey's Court of Cassation overturned the Regional Court of Appeal's ruling by majority vote, stating that the provocation discount should be applied to Avcı.

The case prompted a major public reaction in Turkey, including statements from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and government ministers, reactions from mayors, celebrities, and sports figures, and protests by women's rights activists, some of whom were detained by police in İzmir. The murder also contributed to renewed global attention on the Instagram hashtag campaign #ChallengeAccepted, used by Turkish women to highlight violence against women.

Key facts

Victims
Pınar Gültekin
Date
2020
Location
Yerkesik, Menteşe, Muğla Province, Turkey
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1993-10-01

    Pınar Gültekin is born.

  2. 2020-07-16

    Gültekin leaves her home in Akyaka, Ula, and is later reported missing by her family.

  3. 2020-07-21

    Gültekin's body is found in a plastic box in a forested area of Yerkesik, Menteşe.

  4. 2020-07-22

    President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan comments on the case via Twitter.

  5. 2022-06-20

    13th hearing at Muğla 3rd High Criminal Court; Avcı's brother acquitted, along with his mother, father, ex-wife, and partner on evidence-related charges.

  6. 2025-02

    Court of Cassation, 1st Criminal Chamber, overturns the İzmir Regional Court of Appeal's decision by majority vote, ruling that provocation discount should apply to Cemal Metin Avcı.

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People

  • Cemal Metin Avcı

    CONVICTED

    Identified as the main suspect; testified to beating and having Gültekin strangled, then burning and concealing her body; initially sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment, reduced to 23 years, later reinstated to aggravated life imprisonment by the Regional Court of Appeal, then subject to a Court of Cassation ruling in February 2025 stating a provocation discount should apply.

  • Şükrü Gökhan Orhan

    ACQUITTED

    Partner named in the case; acquitted of destroying and concealing evidence.

  • Mertcan Avcı

    CONVICTED

    Cemal Metin Avcı's brother; initially sentenced to life imprisonment for alleged aiding in the murder, later acquitted by Muğla 3rd High Criminal Court, then sentenced to four years for concealing evidence by the İzmir Regional Court of Appeal.

  • Ayten Avcı

    ACQUITTED

    Mother of Cemal Metin Avcı; acquitted of destroying and concealing evidence.

  • Eda Karagün

    ACQUITTED

    Ex-wife of Cemal Metin Avcı; acquitted of destroying and concealing evidence.

  • Selim Avcı

    ACQUITTED

    Father of Cemal Metin Avcı; acquitted of destroying and concealing evidence.

  • Pınar Gültekin

    VICTIM

    27-year-old university student who was murdered in Muğla Province, Turkey, in July 2020.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

Yerkesik, Menteşe, Muğla Province, Turkey

37.2153, 28.3636

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
Pınar Gültekin, a 27-year-old university student in Muğla, Turkey, disappeared on 16 July 2020 and was found murdered days later, her body burned and encased in concrete. The case sparked nationwide protests and revived the global #ChallengeAccepted campaign against femicide.
Where did the murder happen?
Yerkesik, Menteşe, Muğla Province, Turkey.
Who was convicted?
Cemal Metin Avcı (Identified as the main suspect; testified to beating and having Gültekin strangled, then burning and concealing her body; initially sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment, reduced to 23 years, later reinstated to aggravated life imprisonment by the Regional Court of Appeal, then subject to a Court of Cassation ruling in February 2025 stating a provocation discount should apply.) and Mertcan Avcı (Cemal Metin Avcı's brother; initially sentenced to life imprisonment for alleged aiding in the murder, later acquitted by Muğla 3rd High Criminal Court, then sentenced to four years for concealing evidence by the İzmir Regional Court of Appeal.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
More cases in Türkiye

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDICMurder of Pınar GültekinWikipedia · 2026-07-10
  2. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — BBC NewsBBC News · 2026-07-10
  3. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — The TimesThe Times · 2026-07-10

Record history

First published
JUL 10, 2026