← Back to Turkey casesFunda İşiz Murdered by Celalettin Erkal, Urla, İzmir, Turkey
Case Summary
On November 24, 2005, 16-year-old Funda İşiz was killed in a secluded cafeteria in an abandoned hotel near the pier in Urla, İzmir. Her former boyfriend, 18-year-old Celalettin Erkal, reportedly stabbed her 37 times and cut her throat after she attempted to end their approximately two-year relationship. The source describes prior threats, coercive behavior, self-harm threats, and alleged planning. Erkal moved Funda's body to an industrial freezer, summoned friends and cousins to view it, and was surrendered to police by his father. He was ultimately sentenced to life imprisonment, although he was temporarily released in 2011 before the sentence was reinstated.
Basic Information
Country: Turkey
State/Province: İzmir, Turkey
City/Region: Urla
Incident Type: Murder
Relationship Status: Dating
Relationship Duration: Approximately 2 years
Incident Date: Nov. 24, 2005
Relationship Journey
Relationship Origins:
- Met at Workplace
- Friends circle
Relationship Stages:
- Dating
Analysis
Contributing Factors:
- Domestic Violence Allegation
- Domestic Conflict
- Mental instability
- Suspicion of infidelity
Red Flags:
- Deception after incident
- Escalation Pattern / Violence
- Threats
- Firearm Access / Concerning Weapon Behavior
- Mental Health Deterioration / Hopelessness
Motives:
- Jealousy
- Eliminate romantic partner
Relationship Outcomes:
- Legal case ongoing
- Homicide before marriage
- Arrest made
- Weapon recovery
- Deadbody recovery
Source Video
Video hosted by YouTube · Viewer discretion advised
People Link Graph
Funda İşiz Murdered by Celalettin Erkal, Urla, İzmir, Turkey
Relationship Journey Graph
Origin
- Met at Workplace
- Friends circle
How the relationship or connection began.
Status
- Dating
Approximately 2 years
Stages
- Dating
Important relationship phases recorded for this case.
Warning Signals
- Deception after incident
- Escalation Pattern / Violence
- Threats
- Firearm Access / Concerning Weapon Behavior
- Mental Health Deterioration / Hopelessness
Reported red flags or early concern points.
Pressure Points
- Domestic Violence Allegation
- Domestic Conflict
- Mental instability
- Suspicion of infidelity
- Jealousy
- Eliminate romantic partner
Contributing factors and possible motives from the available sources.
Incident
2005-11-24
Outcome
- Legal case ongoing
- Homicide before marriage
- Arrest made
- Weapon recovery
- Deadbody recovery
Recorded relationship or case outcome.
Sources
English labels are shown first. Original-language titles are preserved for source verification.
Funda İşiz Murdered by Celalettin Erkal, Urla, İzmir, Turkey
case plus _ کیس پلاس - Iran · Original language: English
View original title
Funda İşsiz murder case in Urla, Izmir, Turkey
AI Intelligence Assessment
Relationship Pattern
Domestic Violence
Pattern Analysis
The reported relationship involved escalating coercive and violent behavior, including threats, self-harm threats, refusal to accept separation, and prior harm toward Funda. The killing occurred after Funda attempted to end the relationship, while Erkal claimed jealousy after allegedly seeing messages on her phone. Later phone-log findings reportedly did not support that explanation, while prior threats, possession of a knife, and Hasan's account supported the reported finding of advance planning.
Investigative Notes
Police discovered Funda's body inside a large chest freezer in Urla on November 24, 2005. Erkal reportedly disclosed the killing to his father, who took him to a police station and surrendered him. Seven people who were allegedly summoned to view the body were also arrested according to the source. Hasan's statement about Erkal's reference to the film Saw several hours before the killing was presented as evidence supporting planning. Investigators reportedly checked Funda's call and message logs and found no conversations matching Erkal's claim about another boy; the source also states that Erkal had destroyed Funda's phone. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2007, temporarily released on January 3, 2011 after serving about five years, and returned to prison after public pressure and reopening of the case. The report states that the life sentence was ultimately reinstated.
Investigation Confusion
The source describes conflicting accounts about whether the killing resulted from sudden jealousy or advance planning. Erkal claimed he saw loving messages from another boy and acted in rage, but the reported phone-log review found no such conversations. His alleged prior threats, knife possession, conversation with Hasan about recreating Saw, and destruction of the phone were presented as contradictory evidence. The report also describes uncertainty and legal disagreement concerning the effect of his reported mental-health problems and the reduction and later reinstatement of his sentence.
Case Reconstruction / Puzzle Pieces
Funda and Erkal reportedly dated for approximately two years. During the relationship, Erkal allegedly became obsessive, threatened self-harm and harm to Funda, and refused to accept her decision to leave. After Funda agreed to meet him at a secluded cafeteria near a pier, he reportedly attacked her with a knife and stabbed her 37 times before cutting her throat. He moved her body to a freezer, contacted Hasan and six other people, and later told his father, who surrendered him. Subsequent statements, prior threats, the knife, the alleged Saw conversation, and phone-log evidence were used to connect the incident to a planned act rather than an entirely spontaneous attack.
Risk Assessment
The source describes a high-risk escalation pattern involving obsessive attachment, refusal to accept a breakup, threats to kill, self-harm threats, prior violence, access to a knife, isolation of the victim in a secluded location, and post-incident deception. The victim was a minor and reportedly feared the suspect. The later threat toward Funda's mother and the temporary release from prison were also described as continuing safety concerns. This is a source-limited historical assessment and not a clinical or predictive determination.
Key Takeaways
The source highlights refusal to accept a breakup, escalating threats, self-harm threats used during relationship conflict, prior violence, and access to a weapon as major warning signs. It also illustrates how a secluded meeting, alleged deception after the killing, destruction of communications evidence, and efforts to frame the incident as sudden jealousy complicated the investigation. The account is useful for comparison with cases involving coercive control and post-separation risk, but some narrative descriptions and legal details are source-dependent.
AI Case Q&A
What early signals mattered most?
The most important reported early signals were obsessive attachment, refusal to accept Funda's decision to end the relationship, repeated threats to kill her, threats of suicide, self-harm, prior harm toward her, and family warnings that he needed treatment. Funda was reportedly terrified of him, and her mother repeatedly asked him to leave her alone.
Which clues helped connect the case?
Reportedly important clues included Erkal's possession of a knife when he met Funda, his prior threats, Hasan's account of a pre-incident statement about recreating the film Saw, Erkal's post-incident disclosures, the body's location in a freezer, and the destruction of Funda's phone. Phone and message logs reportedly failed to support Erkal's account of another boy.
Which evidence types appeared strongest?
The source presents the physical body and reported stab wounds, the knife, Erkal's statements to his father and Hasan, Hasan's witness account, phone and message-log analysis, and the destroyed phone as the strongest evidence types. The report also describes later judicial findings that planning supported criminal responsibility.
Witness / Eyewitness Statements
Hasan reportedly said Erkal spoke about wanting to recreate Saw several hours before the killing and later summoned him to the scene. Huriye reportedly said Erkal had placed intense pressure on Funda and that Funda had received psychiatric treatment because of it. Funda's father demanded the maximum sentence. Erkal's father reportedly said he surrendered his son rather than helping him escape.
How did follow-up reports change the understanding?
Follow-up reporting reportedly changed the understanding from a possible sudden jealousy killing to a planned act. Later phone-log findings contradicted Erkal's claim about messages from another boy, and Hasan's account supported advance preparation. Later legal developments also changed the outcome from a temporary release to reinstatement of the life sentence.
What remained unclear?
The source does not provide complete independent documentation of every forensic detail, the identities of the seven visitors, or the precise legal basis for each sentencing change. It also does not establish the full extent of the alleged prior violence or the exact outcome of the reported attack involving Huriye. Some names, spellings, and ages are inconsistent in the report.