Deniz Boyacı sentenced to life imprisonment for murder of 17‑year‑old Hasret Akkuzu

A Zonguldak court convicted Deniz Boyacı of killing 17‑year‑old Hasret Akkuzu, whose body was found in a water well in the Perşembe village of Çaycuma district. Boyacı, previously sentenced for multiple murders in 2001 and released in 2016, told the court he strangled the victim, placed her in a vehicle, and later threw her into the well. The court imposed an aggravated life sentence for the murder of a woman and child. Co‑defendant Arif Boyacı received a one‑year term for evidence‑tampering, while Nejla Boyacı and Erkan Sarı were acquitted. The judgment also ordered Boyacı to pay roughly 1.5 million Turkish lira in legal costs.

The case highlighted the recurrence of violent crime by a repeat offender and concluded a lengthy investigation that began after villagers reported the discovery of the body in the well.