Çanakkale, Turkey: A man has been arrested and charged with deliberate murder in connection with the death of a woman who fell off a cliff during a marriage proposal. Nizamettin Gursu was taken into custody five months after his girlfriend, Yesim Demir, tragically plummeted to her death. Police have recovered evidence of a struggle prior to her 100-foot plunge, according to a report by Turkish news outlet BirGün.
The incident took place on July 6 at Polente Cape, where Gursu proposed to Demir during a beautiful sunset. Gursu claimed that after the proposal was accepted, he went to retrieve a picnic basket from his car. He told the police that he rushed back to the scene upon hearing Demir scream and found her lying at the bottom of the cliff. Demir was pronounced dead 45 minutes after medics tried life-saving efforts.
During the investigation, police discovered that Demir had actually turned down Gursu’s marriage proposal. The victim did not have an engagement ring on her finger. The engagement ring was still inside a box in the suspect’s pocket. The authorities also recovered shattered glass and a broken music speaker from the proposal spot, indicating that a struggle occurred on the mountain.
Demir’s loved ones have alleged that her death was not an accident but murder, according to a criminal complaint obtained by BirGün. Family members informed the police that Demir had planned to end the relationship with Gursu and would have declined his proposal. They further revealed that she had a fear of heights and would never willingly approach the edge of a cliff. They insist that Demir’s death “was not an accident, but murder.”
At the time of the incident, Gursu told local news outlets that they had chosen the cliffs to create a romantic memory after the proposal. He claimed that they had consumed alcohol and that Demir lost her balance and fell unexpectedly.
Gursu was charged with deliberate murder. No information is available regarding Gursu’s plea to the charges. The investigation continues as authorities examine the evidence and conduct further questioning.