Boyfriend arrested in shooting of singing contestant in southeast Turkey

The boyfriend of the 19-year-old woman who was recently shot in the head in southeastern Turkey, allegedly over her decision to join a singing contest on TV, has been arrested by police, though he has claimed innocence.

Mutlu Kaya was shot in her house in the Ergani district of the southeastern province of Diyarbak?r early May 18 and is currently still in critical condition in a hospital.

On May 20, the Criminal Magistrate of Peace in Ergani ordered the arrest of Veysi Ercan, reported as Kaya's boyfriend, charging him with shooting the woman.

The magistrate released three other suspects, who were detained alongside Ercan, conditionally for a trial without arrest.

In his testimony, Ercan confessed to his disapproval of Kaya's participation in the song contest, though he pleaded not guilty to shooting her.

"Her family wanted her to join the competition whereas I didn't. It is true that we often fought on this subject but I did not shoot her," he said. 

Confrontation with woman's family

According to his testimony, Ercan had previously convinced her not to participate in the TV contest titled "O Ses Türkiye" (Turkey's version of "The Voice"). Kaya, however, later participated in another, less popular TV contest with a similar theme, "Sesi Çok Güzel" (Her Voice Is So Beautiful).

Meanwhile, a police investigation revealed Kaya had filed a complaint against Ercan four months ago on charges of intimidation and threatening. 

Police had been trying to locate Ercan, as initial investigations revealed his presence at the crime scene at around 3 a.m., which coincides with the time of the attack. 

The suspect also confirmed being near the victim's house at the time of the crime, but claimed...