A Turkish court on Saturday sentenced three suspects including family members to life in prison over the death of an 8-year-old girl in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır, although the motive behind the murder remains unknown, Agence France-Presse reported.
The body of Narin Güran, who had been missing for 19 days, was found in September in a bag in a river around one kilometer (0.6 miles) from the village where she lived with her family.
After a tense, day-long hearing, the court in Diyarbakır sentenced Narin’s mother, elder brother and uncle to aggravated life on charges of “conspiracy in the premeditated murder of a child,” according to an AFP journalist at the courthouse.
The judge sentenced another suspect, Nevzat Bahtiyar, who had confessed to the disposal of Narin’s body for Salim Güran, Narin’s uncle, in exchange for money, to four years, six months in prison.
Police heightened security measures inside and outside the courthouse as the judge read out the verdict.
The court said that Bahtiyar found the body at Narin’s home, adding that he had transported and disposed of it.
Abdulkadir Güleç, head of the bar association in Diyarbakır, told reporters the court verdict was close to what they had expected.
“Bahtiyar should have received the same sentence,” he said.
Lawyer Nait Eren said he would object to the court’s ruling on Bahtiyar.
The court did not reveal what the motive behind Narin’s murder was and which of the defendants had perpetrated the murder, which has led to disappointment among people who expected the court to shed light on the incident.
Narin disappeared on August 21, sparking an extensive search, with a number of well-known figures joining a “Find Narin” social media campaign.
Soon after the body was found, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed profound sadness and said he would “personally follow the judicial process” so that those who took Narin’s life received the harshest punishment.
Prosecutors said in the indictment that the murder was likely committed by people close to Narin. They also accused Narin’s uncle Salim — who is the highest local administrator in the village — of misleading authorities during the initial manhunt.
Addressing the court during the hearing, Narin’s mother, Yüksel, denied the charges, lamenting that she would never see her daughter get married.
“They didn’t let my daughter wear a wedding dress. Instead, they put her in a shroud,” she told the judge.
“I didn’t even see her shroud or her grave,” she said. “My daughter was brutally killed.”
During the first hearing, Bahtiyar claimed that Salim Güran had killed Narin after she witnessed an affair between him and her mother. Yüksel and Salim Güran denied the accusation.
Narin’s father, Arif, also said he had full faith in his wife and brother, denying the likelihood of an affair between them, putting the blame on Bahtiyar for his daughter’s murder.
An İstanbul Council of Forensic Medicine report revealed in September that Narin was strangled to death on the day of her disappearance. The report said the little girl died due to a lack of oxygen after her mouth and nose were covered and pressure was exerted on her neck.