Details of the prosecutor’s murder revealed: he was killed over 150,000 liras

On September 4, 2025, a tragedy occurred in Istanbul: in the Çekmece district, prosecutor Ercan Kayhan, who worked at the Çağlayan courthouse, was brutally murdered. His 19-year-old acquaintance, Mustafa Can Gül, confessed that he committed the crime over a debt of 150,000 Turkish liras.

Course of events

It is reported that Can Gül, who had previously worked as a waiter at Yeşil Oba Et Mangal (a restaurant allegedly co-owned by Kayhan and Bilal Bilgin), came there in the evening hoping to collect his debt.

According to him, he first turned to Bilgin with a request to pay the outstanding sum. However, Kayhan intervened, suddenly pushed him away, and said: “Stop.” This led to a scuffle during which both reached for a knife lying on the table.

Gül claims that the knife was first in Kayhan’s hands, then in his own. He attempted to stab the abdomen, missed, and in confusion struck the neck. Kayhan fell, still moving, and then Gül, by his own account, panicked and slit his throat. After this, he did not try to escape and calmly left the building, where he was detained by arriving gendarmes.

Motivation and confessions

The defendant stated that the purpose of his visit to the restaurant was only to demand repayment of the debt. He emphasized that he had no intention of killing the prosecutor: “I just came to take my money. I didn’t want to kill. It all happened in panic, suddenly.” He also insisted that no one had pressured or incited him: “No one pushed me or provoked me.”

On drugs and psychological state

During interrogation, Gül was asked if he used drugs. He admitted that he once consumed a substance known as “MET” but had not used it for about a year. On the eve of the crime, he was sober and of sound mind, as he himself claimed.

Regarding psychological issues or treatment, Gül stated he had neither. He noted strained relations with his family due to being away from home for a long time, but did not cite this as a motive.

Statements from family and defense

The family’s lawyer said that the late prosecutor himself apparently enrolled Gül in high school — and even addressed his drug problems, advising him to stop. Moreover, according to the lawyer, Gül wanted to get a job at that restaurant, but the owner refused to hire him.

Case outcome and authorities’ reaction

After interrogations, Can Gül was brought before the court with a request for arrest on charges of murder with special cruelty — “canavarca hisle veya eziyet çektirerek öldürme”. The court granted the request, and the accused was taken into custody.

Unfortunately, the exact date of the funeral was not specified in all sources, but an article in Yeni Şafak mentioned that the farewell ceremony took place on Friday after the noon prayer (Cuma namazı), after which the deceased was buried at Küçükyalı cemetery.