In the Bundesliga, Sezer Öztürk once made a name for 1. FC Nürnberg and Bayer Leverkusen. Now the former midfielder has to go to prison for a long time.
A court in Istanbul sentenced the 36-year-old to a prison sentence of 14 years and seven months on Wednesday, after the native of Velberter shot a man on open street in September of last year.
The public prosecutor had accused him of murder and assault and requested a total sentence of 23 years. Öztürk assured that he acted out of self -defense because he felt threatened by the victim.
The background to the process is an incident of September 19, 2021. As the “Bild” writes, citing Turkish media reports, a dispute in road traffic led to the homicide at the time.
first murder, then curious escape attempt
Öztürk is said to have encountered a group in the Istanbul district of Pasaköy/Sile on said evening that held a picnic on the street. For unexplained reasons, the situation was escalating when the ex-footballer asked whether the group passed it up with his Mercedes. Finally Öztürk pulled a gun and shot down a passerby. The victim subsequently died of his injuries. Four other people were injured at the time.
After his deed, the former Besiktas and Fenerbahce player had tried to leave the country. At the end of November 2021, he was finally arrested in trying to pass the Georgian border on the loading area of a pickup.
Öztürk once came from the youth of Rot-Weiß Essen and later only switched to Bayer Leverkusen and in January 2006 to 1. FC Nürnberg. Between 2004 and 2006 he played a total of nine Bundesliga games for both clubs.
In summer 2006 he turned his back on Germany and continued his career in Turkey. With Fenerbahce in 2012 and 2013, he became a Turkish cup winner before he ended his career in 2015.