Final photos of pregnant wife before husband allegedly pushed her off cliff
Final photos of a pregnant young woman shortly before her husband is accused of pushing her off a cliff have emerged.
Police suspect Hakan Aysal, 40, pushed Semra Aysal, 32, off the cliff where she was killed instantly while they were on holiday in the Butterfly Valley in the Fethiye district of the southeastern Turkish city of Mugla in June 2018.
She was killed together with her unborn child she had been carrying for seven months.
The couple had been taking pictures on the clifftop and prosecutors say the "accident" was in fact murder carried out by the husband so he could cash in on insurance that he had recently taken out.
In the indictment prepared for the crime of "deliberate murder" against the husband, it states he "planned the murder of his wife by first taking out a personal accident insurance on her behalf with a guarantee of TRY 400,000 (AU$73,440) and where the only beneficiary was himself".
Prosecutors claim the only reason they sat on top of the cliff for three hours was so that he could make sure no one was around and as soon as he realised they were alone, he had deliberately killed her by pushing her off the ledge.
The indictment also noted Aysal had claimed the insurance payment later, but it was declined when news of the investigation was unveiled.
He has denied being responsible for her death, saying: "After taking a photo, my wife put the phone in her bag. Later she asked me to give her the phone. I got up and then heard the scream of my wife behind me when I walked a few steps away to get the phone from her bag. When I turned back, she was not there. I did not push my wife."
The indictment was accepted by the Fethiye High Criminal Court after Aysal's arrest in November last year.
The investigation is reportedly still continuing with more charges possible.
– Australscope
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