Honour killing story: Kristine M. and Bilge C. (2005)

Kristine M. and Bilge C.
Born: 1985 (both)
Murdered: 22 June 2005
Location: Munich-Neuperlach
Origin: Victim: Turkey and Germany; Perpetrator: Croatia
Children: none
Perpetrator: her boyfriend Marko Z. (age 22 at the time of the crime)

Marko is 22 years old, from Croatia, works as a salesman in Munich and has a German passport. He is known to the police for drug offenses and assault. He lives with Kristine. The relationship is violent, but the two also run a sham company with more than 130,000 euros in the account.

In June 2005, Kristine wants to leave her boyfriend. She asks her friend Bilge, a Turkish woman from Fürstenfeldbruck, to come to the apartment with her. Both women are cosmetology students. Marko stabs the two 20-year-olds to death.

After the crime, Marko has to take a theoretical driving test, for which he passes flawlessly. Then he drives to the hardware store, buys bags, mortar and shovels. He cuts up the bodies with a samurai sword. He calls his father (53 years old) to the rescue. The two clean and renovate the apartment.

They dissect the two bodies and put the parts in 12 garbage bags, which they scattered along a highway.

Then the father drives the Mercedes to Slovenia. He makes the car disappear and returns by train. He gives the Opel to his son so he can drive to Croatia.

But the son wants to go back. Or the pressure of the manhunt becomes too much. The father drives a BMW there. Somehow they also get the Mercedes back. Police officers recognize the car and arrest the two. They claim that they had wanted to turn themselves in anyway. The father is released again because obstruction of justice is not a criminal offense in the case of accused family members.

In October 2006, the trial begins at the Munich jury court. In November Marko is sentenced to life imprisonment for double murder. The particular gravity of guilt is established.

What is an honour killing?

An honour killing is a murder in the name of honour. If a brother murders his sister to restore family honour, it is an honour killing. According to activists, the most common reasons for honour killings are as the victim:

refuses to cooperate in an arranged marriage.
wants to end the relationship.
was the victim of rape or sexual assault.
was accused of having a sexual relationship outside of marriage.

Human rights activists believe that 100,000 honour killings are carried out every year, most of which are not reported to the authorities and some are even deliberately covered up by the authorities themselves, for example because the perpetrators are good friends with local policemen, officials or politicians. Violence against girls and women remains a serious problem in Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Serbia and Turkey.