An investor who shot a blonde businesswoman nine times in the head and neck after accusing her of scamming him for cash and then splashing out on a holiday abroad has gone on trial for her murder.
Victim Zehra Catal was gunned down during a blazing row at her construction firm’s offices in Antalya, Turkey, on 20th March.
After shooting Zehra, 40, dead, Yilmaz Fahrioglu fled the scene on foot and dumped his pistol in a field.
After managing to evade capture for a month, Yilmaz, who was 45 at the time of the crime, was arrested in Diyarbakir, halfway across the country.
He has now gone on trial in Antalya via video link from prison on charges of murdering a woman and possessing an unlicensed weapon.
Prosecutors are seeking aggravated life imprisonment for the former charge and up to three years in jail for the latter.
In Turkey, an aggravated life sentence carries a minimum non-parole term of 30 years.
Fahrioglu told the court he had lent Zehra TRY 2,800,000 (GBP 83,000) in instalments after she repeatedly asked him for money for a villa construction project.
But he flew into a rage when he discovered there was allegedly no such project.
The defendant told the court: “I told her, ‘You’re scamming me’, and asked for my money back. She gave me a payment date. I went back to Diyarbakir.
“When that date arrived, I called her, and she postponed it.”
Despite allegedly owing him money, Zehra managed to treat herself to a trip overseas.
Fahrioglu told the court: “After Zehra returned from abroad, she called me and said, ‘I’m back, come to the office, let’s talk.’
“For a month, I went to the office every day and asked for my money. She said, ‘I’ve started construction; I’ll give you the money.'”
Fahrioglu recounted what happened on the day of the incident, telling the court: “I went to the office on Monday around 10am to 11am.
“I said, ‘You’ve been stalling me for 2 years.’ Zehra started cursing at me. I lost control and fired the pistol I took out of my bag.
“I deeply regret it; I wish this had never happened. May God forgive me. After the incident, I threw the gun into the field.”
Local media earlier reported that Fahrioglu has a criminal record for intentionally causing injury, robbery, and looting.
The victim’s grieving family alleged at the time that Zehra was debt-free and claimed her killer shot her while trying to extort money from her.
The trial continues.
