Ceylan and Bahar have known each other since childhood, becoming close while she was still a student. Soon after graduating from high school, they got married, and a year later their son was born. At that time, Ceylan decided that she wanted to continue her education at university. She also started working in a tailoring studio in Ruse. Meanwhile, her husband became increasingly jealous and obsessive, forcing Ceylan to change her style of dress and significantly limit her contact with her family and friends. Her parents did not approve of their relationship, but after they got married, they came to terms with the fact that Bahar was trying to isolate their daughter. His wife's frequent absences from home irritated Bahar. He began to refuse her financial assistance for her education, and stopped helping with the household and raising the child.
Over time, Ceylan quickly established herself as a very good employee, and the management of the tailoring company offered her a management position. However, her husband believes that Jelyan should not develop professionally, but should only be busy with housework and taking care of the family. This, combined with his controlling behavior, leads to constant family scandals. Often, they are accompanied by physical and mental abuse from Bahar. Jelyan's colleagues often notice that there are traces of beatings on the exposed parts of her face, neck and hands, but she refuses to comment on them - she says that she has hurt herself.
Bahar checks her conversations, messages, and contacts on the phone and social networks every day, with and without his wife's knowledge. He begins to suspect her of infidelity. He also follows her physically - whether, when, with whom she goes to work and when she returns. The child often witnesses the scandals between his parents. Jelyan takes care of him mainly, making sure that the child attends a good school, a private tutoring center and extracurricular activities and that he develops and socializes fully.
As a result of the systematic harassment, provoked by uncontrollable outbursts of jealousy and accusations of infidelity, Ceylan decided to divorce her husband several times. However, it did not come to an actual separation, since she did not receive support from her parents, who did not know about the actual relationship between their daughter and her husband. She increasingly began to share with friends about cases in which she had been abused, that she was afraid that Bahar would not let her leave him, have a life without him, and would kill her. Bahar made such statements several times in the presence of her parents – that he would kill her, but would not let her leave him.
In early 2016, Ceylan finally decided to separate from her husband. Meanwhile, Bahar saw a conversation between her and her friend, in which Ceylan said that she had found a man who loved her and that she was also in love with him. At that moment, Bahar realized that his wife’s intention to divorce was final. The fact that she fell in love with another man in a short time, for whom she wanted to leave him, angers and embitters Bahar. So he decides that he will not let this happen and that is why he must kill Ceylan. He decides to stay alone with her, in a place that allows him to realize his plan.
On May 31, Bahar makes up a pretext to meet Ceylan and the two of them drive out of town in his car. During the trip, he starts asking her if she has another relationship and explodes. Ceylan is startled, insists on returning, but instead Bahar stops at a deserted place near the back gate of an oil base. He tells her that he will not divorce her and that she will not be granted parental rights over their child because she is not a good mother. He hits her in the face, starts choking her. Ceylan manages to free herself and get out of the car. Bahar gets out after her, but the noise and shouts startle the dogs at the gate and attract the attention of a security guard at the back gate of the company, far from the road, where they have stopped. Bahar then orders his wife to get into the car, she obeys, but this time sits in the back seat.
While the car was in motion, the woman tried to jump, managed to release the gear lever and pull the ignition key, causing her husband to lose control of the steering wheel and stop. Ceylan managed to escape. As she ran, she waved to passing cars to stop and help her, but no one responded. Bahar took a kitchen knife from the trunk, which he had previously placed there, quickly caught up with her on the roadway, and began to punch her. Ceylan tried to defend herself with her hands and ran along the roadway. Only then did passengers in a car notice that the woman was in danger and looked for a place to turn to help her. During this time, however, she lost her balance and fell. While she was on the ground, Bahar punched her several more times. Ceylan died.
When determining the punishment, the court took into account as mitigating circumstances the fact that Bahar was caring for a family and their child, as well as the presence of “painful jealousy, for which he had reason, in view of the monitored correspondence of his wife”. According to the court, these circumstances “to a certain extent contributed to the commission of the crime”.
More information about the verdict, as well as the full reasoning of the court, can be found here. He decides to stay alone with her, in a place that allows him to carry out his plan.