Mar
22
2013
By ielr
A homeless man by the name of Ziya Tasali, was arrested on March 17, 2013 in Reyhanli, a Turkish southern province on the border with Syria, and is being charged with the murder of an American woman visiting Istanbul as tourist. He was originally caught by rebel fighters in Syria, then taken to the border, where he was repatriated and then detained by Turkish police.
In a video released by TimeTurk new website shows the man explaining the killing to a news reporter. "I do not remeber how it happened," he said. "I must have hit her head with a heavy object. As I came back in the morning, she was dead. I covered her" The man admitted sniffing paint thinner before the crime, in order to get high. After realizing that police had discovered the body, he fled into Syria, where he was later captured.
The victim, 33-year-old Sarai Sierra, was found in Istanbul, after being reported missing in January. Traveling alone, she left the United States to go to Turkey on January 7, her first trip abroad. She went missing two weeks later, the day she was due to fly home to New York. Her family has commended the work of the Turkish authorities, saying that "they've done a good job investigating [the crime], and [they] really appreciate it," according to David Jimenez, Sierra's brother.
The investigation was one of Istanbul's most high profile cases, with over 230 police investigators assigned to first conduct a massive missing persons search and then hunt for Sierra's killer. At least 30 people were questioned in connection to the case.
Tasali is currently being held by Turkish police. A trial date is being set after prosecutors prepare the indictment with details of the charges. The maximum penalty for murder in Turkey is life imprisonment.