(PatriotWise.com)- The Turkish man who murdered his pregnant wife in 2018 by throwing her off a cliff was sentenced to 30 years in prison two weeks ago.
Hakam Aysal was arrested last fall for murdering his wife Semra in June 2018 when they were vacationing in the Butterfly Valley in Mugla, Turkey.
Aysal allegedly enticed his wife to the cliff edge of a mountain to pose for selfies where prosecutors said he pushed her over the edge to cash in on an insurance claim. Semra Aysal fell one thousand feet to her death. She was seven months pregnant at the time.
Aysal initially told police that Semra slipped. But according to the indictment, shortly before his wife’s death, Aysal took out a personal accident insurance policy on his wife worth nearly $57,000 naming him as the sole beneficiary.
He attempted to cash in on the insurance claim, however, was denied due to the ongoing police investigation.
Police became suspicious of Aysal after witnesses who saw news reports about the story began to come forward. One witness, another tourist on the mountain, provided a video he shot that day showing Aysal acting strangely. The footage showed Aysal luring Semra to the edge of the cliff for a selfie before she fell.
Hakam Aysal was later arrested and charged with murder.
However, Aysal insisted he was innocent. He claimed that after he took the selfie, Semra asked him to get her cell phone out of his bag. And when got up to grab his bag, he heard her screaming. When he looked back, Semra was gone.
But the jury didn’t buy it. They found Aysal guilty of intentional murder. He was sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment, meaning Aysal will not be eligible for parole for at least 30 years.
