Outrage As A Viral Video Showing A Man Stabbing A Woman To Death As Two Male Bystanders Walk Away Without Saving Her

Horrifying CCTV footage shows two men strolling past as a woman is attacked in an Istanbul street, and simply walking away without lifting a finger.

The grainy security images, circulated by Turkish news outlets including Ensonhaber, capture the final moments of 38-year-old Aysel Karakoç outside a residential site in Beykoz’s Çubuklu neighbourhood on the evening of 15 October 2025. Her ex-partner, 35-year-old Fethi Şancı, had arrived under the pretext of reconciliation after the couple had split. What followed was filmed by the site’s cameras.

In the footage, two men in light-coloured shirts appear near the scene while the attack is underway. One stands briefly a short distance away; both then turn and walk off along the pavement as Karakoç is left on the ground. Neither is seen intervening, calling for help, or remaining at the scene. Turkish media reports at the time noted that bystanders did not physically stop the assault.

Karakoç was taken by ambulance to Paşabahçe State Hospital but could not be saved. Şancı fled and was quickly detained. He was charged with premeditated intentional killing and remanded in custody. Court records later indicated he had taken a knife from a restaurant earlier that evening and had purchased a ticket to Dubai after the attack.

In October 2026, an Istanbul court convicted him of intentional killing of a woman. Prosecutors had sought an aggravated life sentence. The panel imposed life imprisonment after applying a “good behaviour” reduction, a decision that prompted protests from Karakoç’s family inside and outside the courtroom. Her relatives said the outcome meant he could be released after a shorter period and vowed to appeal.

The circulated video triggered widespread anger on Turkish social media, with many users highlighting the apparent indifference of the men who walked away and questioning why no one stepped in. The case added to ongoing public debate in Turkey over the handling of killings of women and the sentences handed down in such trials.