The widow of a man killed in a fatal car crash in İstanbul last year involving a Turkish teenager who later fled to the United States has withdrawn her complaint against the suspect and his mother, the Ekol TV news website reported on Wednesday.
Şükriye Aci, the wife of 29-year-old Oğuz Murat Aci, who died in the March 2024 crash, said in a petition that “material and moral damages have been compensated,” thus she is withdrawing her complaint in the case.
Four others injured in the incident also submitted similar petitions withdrawing their complaints against Timur Cihantimur, who was 17 at the time, and his mother, Eylem Tok, who helped her son flee Turkey.
Cihantimur is accused of driving without a license in İstanbul’s Eyüpsultan district and causing a crash that killed Aci and injured four others who had pulled their quad bikes over due to a mechanical issue.
Following the accident, Cihantimur and his mother Tok, a novelist and poet, flew to Egypt and then to the United States. The pair was arrested in Boston in June pursuant to an extradition request from Turkey as they were about to tour an expensive private school in Boston.
The news about Aci’s widow decision to withdraw her complaint has led to disappointment for Özer Aci, the father of the victim, who told Ekol TV that he was not informed of his daughter-in-law’s decision and vowed to continue seeking justice.
“Everyone answers for their own choices. I’m not backing down. This case is my red line,” he told Ekol TV.
Despite the withdrawal, Turkish prosecutors will continue the case as a public prosecution, since the charges relate to a fatal traffic incident and are not dependent on individual complaints, according to the Turkish Penal Code (TCK).
Commenting on the legal implications, lawyer Tarkan Erdal told the Kanal D TV station that while the case will proceed as a public prosecution, the withdrawal of complaints by Aci’s wife and the other injured parties could significantly affect the progression of the case.
Erdal said the court will likely weigh between “negligent manslaughter” and “conscious negligence” and noted that if the court determines the lesser charge of “reckless injury,” the process may end immediately due to the lack of a formal complaint.
“The suspect was 17 at the time, which already qualifies him for a reduction in sentence by up to one-third. … If the court rules it was a negligent injury, the case will be dropped immediately due to the lack of a complaint. But if it’s ruled as conscious negligence, the trial will continue,” the lawyer added.
Erdal further said that once the suspects are extradited to Turkey, a trial date will likely be set immediately, and given the circumstances, they could potentially be released at their first hearing.
A US federal judge in Massachusetts ruled in February that the two could be extradited to Turkey, rejecting arguments that they had not been charged with extraditable offenses and clearing the way for the US State Department to consider turning them over.
The final decision now rests with the US State Department.