Background
Gül Tut, known by her stage name Güllü, was a singer of arabesk and fantasy music with a large following in Turkey. She was 52 and lived in a six-storey building in the Çınarcık district of Yalova. Her death quickly became a national story, and the handling of the investigation, the evidence and family relations were widely discussed.
What happened
Gül Tut died on the night of 26 September 2025 after falling from a window of her home. Early reports considered an accident, but the Yalova Chief Public Prosecutor's Office investigated the incident thoroughly from the start. Forensic examinations, camera and audio recordings, message records, witness statements and expert reports were reviewed. According to the indictment, she fell from a height of about 18 metres, and the window belonged to the defendant's room.
Her daughter gave three statements on different dates before being arrested. The indictment put the fall at 01:26, onto concrete from about 18 metres. In court the defendant said she did not see her mother fall and described herself as also being a victim.
The file listed message records, transcripts of audio recordings and expert reports as evidence. Besides the daughter's statements, the testimony of the friend who was in the room played an important part in the investigation.
Investigation and trial
Her daughter and several others were detained. The daughter was arrested, a friend who was in the room was placed under house arrest, and the rest were released. A further person was detained on suspicion of incitement and released under judicial control. The investigation lasted about eleven months. The indictment was accepted by the Yalova 1st High Criminal Court and sought aggravated life imprisonment for the daughter for premeditated killing of an ascendant, and two to four years for the friend for false testimony.
The trial opened on 1 October 2026, and the defendant denied the charge. At the second hearing on 9 October 2026 the court sentenced her to aggravated life imprisonment. The defence has said the ruling will be overturned on appeal, so the verdict is not yet final.
Güllü's death is cited in wider discussions of family relationships and of violence against women.
The false-testimony case against the friend is being heard separately, and prosecutors' objections were rejected. The complainants' side said it would continue the legal pursuit.
Criminal proceedings may continue through the appeal and cassation stages, so the verdict has yet to become final.