GUILTY Turkey - Sarai Sierra, 33, NY woman murdered, Istanbul, 21 Jan 2013 - #2

[bourne]

By one person... That's pretty darn close.

No, stats # out of 100,000. It's percentage-wise. lol

 

[necco]

Yep yep. Having been the 'other man' on several occasions I can write a book on the measures women take to hide their dirt from the sig other.

And the plot thickens!


(I feel so bad for the mods on this thread. Between the fascination with this case and the fact that a good number of us are snowed it, keeping us on task has got to be about as easy as herding cats. Sorry Moms and Dads of the Forum)

 

[lavy]

Murders per 100,000 people (most recent) by country

Turkey ranked #58 6.9
USA ranked #63 5.9

Turkey ranks higher in number of murders per 100,000 people capita than USA.

*Note: These were stats based in year 2004

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_mur_per_100_peo-murders-per-100-000-people

I think we were discussing NY vs. Istanbul

I don't see where we trying to reach with murder rate comparison?

 

[Darkman00]

OK .. we'll just call it a tie .. vs. those stats vs. 2004 .. vs. 2013 vs. etc etc ...

.. vs. USA vs. Turkey .. vs NYC .. vs Istfanbul.....

-------------> TIE

 

[lavy]

I think they assumed she saw that door and that's why she crossed the road, but since they lost her when crossing the road, they'd actually have no clue what her motivation was. I believed they just assumed that because the door was in he same vicinity as where she crossed, not because the camera could actually see her approaching the door. At least that how I took it.

I don't remember the door and couldn't locate exact place. Can you?

 

[Darkman00]

Old news also i guess... but just in case:

-------

Sierra’s husband tells children, ‘Mom’s dead'

NEW YORK - Hürriyet Daily News

February/08/2013

Read more: http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/si...-dead.aspx?pageID=238&nid=40733&NewsCatID=341

 

[belimom]

I don't remember the door and couldn't locate exact place. Can you?

I know that 700 cameras is alot, but is there a map of them anywhere? They are evidently "highly visible" so it's not like they are hidden. Camera locations may help narrow it down some.

Case Studies: The City of Istanbul, Turkey regards public safety as an essential ingredient for economic growth. After deploying a Cisco network connecting hundreds of neighborhood authority offices and more than 100 police stations, the city installed 700 highly visible video surveillance cameras that transmit video for central monitoring and license-plate recognition. Crimes such as purse snatching have decreased significantly. Furthermore, some residents and visitors report they are more likely to dine and shop in the city because parking near a camera gives them the confidence their car will not be vandalized or stolen. And when citizens call the police department to report an incident, dispatchers and police officers can view live video images from the scene, increasing their situational awareness.

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/col...154/10_good_reasons_to_consider_financing.pdf

 

[shimz]

Ok, true. I would never ever do that but I have friends like that.

We can discuss this.

There were 2 alarming things for me about this:

-That she told her sister she is going to go Asia, of course she might have done that before but when I read it, it sounded like she hasn't been there. Even if she did doesn't make sense that she is going there on her last afternoon.

-Taylan's claim about on 20th she asked him where to go and he said if you haven't been there go to the historic peninsula (old city) and then they decide to go to galata and topkapi. That sounds a bit stupid. A normal tourist who has a week in istanbul would spend at least 2 days there. Its the most touristic place. Even if she wanted to see different things I would expect her to go there first day and then do other things.



--Ok after writing this I think the reason she told her sister that she is going to asia is that she was planning to meet with Taylan?

Sorry if this has already been said, I'm still catching up. But perhaps the reason she didn't know the touristy places was because she thought she was going to have a local tour guide(s) who would show her everything... especially stuff that was off the beaten path. Also, it sounds like Taylan was giving her places to go and meeting her towards the end of her trip. I wonder what she did the first days she was there and who she spent them with, and why she decided not to see them those last days. I feel like there is someone else who she was even better acquainted with than TK. But then again, who knows

 

[KuriousKev]

We don't know what kind of relationship the woman and her husband had...

Maybe what he says, should not be taken at full par.

I bet we would find the answers to some of our questions if we could have a sit down with Ms. Magdalena Rodriguez, best friend of SS, the one who early on said she backed out of the trip at the last minute but then later said she informed SS early on that she was unable to go.

 

[vtmeme]

SS marries young. Is the husband her only love? Financial problems can put a strain on a marriage. They drift apart, she feels she has missed out on things. Her husband is a bit older then her if I remember right, so he may have experienced a little more. She finds she has a talent in photography, the attention she gets from IG goes to her head, she feels special, something she hasn't felt in a long time. Her new IG friends invite she to come to Istanbul. Maybe she wants her friend to go along but her friend can't afford it. They say nothing until it's to late to change plans. She arrives meets up with IG friends. Maybe something happened between them, may not. Her last day she walks to meet Taylan, getting there early to get pictures know she is running out of time. She take pictures of something she shouldn't be seeing, they catch her taking the pictures, they grab somehow, maybe they had a car near by, took her someplace else, killed her and returned here when they knew they wouldn't be seen, they have been there more then once, knew when know one would be around or those that were would say anything. Maybe they had taken her jacket of and pants down searching for something, I don't know what, whatever low lives take from young women. They kept the ipad and phone because of the pictures take.

 

[Darkman00]

Man denies having sex with murdered New York mother in Turkish bar toilet and claims they only met for a cup of tea

February 8, 2013, Posted 2 min. ago, By Administrator

• Sarai Sierra, 33, was killed by a fatal blow to the head during solo trip
• Also had extensive trauma to her torso, right hip area, bruises on her legs and a large chin wound
• None of the DNA taken from 22 suspects was linked to the murder scene
• Husband Steven, 40, had refused to tell their sons of her death until he returned from Turkey yesterday – where he had flown to help police there
• Refused to talk about claims she had slept with a man in Istanbul who she had met online
• Witnesses ‘report she was seen with sketchy characters before her death’

Read more: http://cncnws.com/blog/2013/02/08/m...et-and-claims-they-only-met-for-a-cup-of-tea/

 

[KuriousKev]

From The DailyMail: (yes not 100% reliable) but interesting.

"Istanbul authorities say the area where the mother-of-two was murdered is a known rape black spot in a run down part of the city.

A Swedish tourist was raped at knife point in the same place in January 2007, and in March 2010 a Japanese girl suffered a chillingly similar attack to Sarai's murder when she was bludgeoned about the head with a rock and raped, according to Turkish daily newspaper Takvim.

Another 24-year-old Turkish girl was attacked at knife point at the same spot but managed to fight off her attacker and flee to safety.

Since those attacks, Turkish police have installed extra lighting and CCTV in the area in a clearly-failed attempt to make it safer."


LINK

 

[Meri]

Hopefully this will help somewhat then ...

Here is the latest:

----------

Murdered Staten Island mom may have been rubbed out in Turkey by a 'professional' says Istanbul paper

Turkish cops believe Sarai Sierra was lured to the killer’s Istanbul home and bludgeoned to death. Her murderer apparently dumped her body in a tough part of Istanbul hoping to blame homeless people, the report says

By By Rich Schapiro In Istanbul And Corky Siemaszko / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Published: Friday, February 8, 2013, 1:44 PM

Updated: Friday, February 8, 2013, 1:44 PM

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/s-mom-killed-professional-hit-article-1.1258943

I have never heard of a "professional" using a rock for a hit.

 

[ThinkHard]

I think we were discussing NY vs. Istanbul

I don't see where we trying to reach with murder rate comparison?

List of countries by intentional homicide rate - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2012 statics however have it a little different

USA 4.8

Turkey 3.3

 

[necco]

List of countries by intentional homicide rate - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2012 statics however have it a little different

USA 4.8

Turkey 3.3

Country vs. Country is different than City vs. City.

 

[lavy]

I know that 700 cameras is alot, but is there a map of them anywhere? They are evidently "highly visible" so it's not like they are hidden. Camera locations may help narrow it down some.

I am not an expert on this but as far as I know there are few different types of cameras.

Traffic cameras - They are mainly for watching the traffic. You can watch them online or on tv. There is a map for these
http://tkm.ibb.gov.tr/yolDurumu/Kameralar.aspx
(there is one close to where she found i am guessing they saw her from that one)

Other cameras - I don't know what to call them. Just other cameras in the city. Places like squares, train stations etc. For security No map.

Touristic cameras - High quality cameras in few beautiful locations. Can be watched online. Certain places
http://www.ibb.gov.tr/en-US/Organization/MunicipalHistory/Pages/Live_City_View_in_Istanbul.aspx

Also police use the security cameras of shops, restaurants etc.

 

[belimom]

Man denies having sex with murdered New York mother in Turkish bar toilet and claims they only met for a cup of tea

February 8, 2013, Posted 2 min. ago, By Administrator

• Sarai Sierra, 33, was killed by a fatal blow to the head during solo trip
• Also had extensive trauma to her torso, right hip area, bruises on her legs and a large chin wound
• None of the DNA taken from 22 suspects was linked to the murder scene
• Husband Steven, 40, had refused to tell their sons of her death until he returned from Turkey yesterday – where he had flown to help police there
• Refused to talk about claims she had slept with a man in Istanbul who she had met online
• Witnesses ‘report she was seen with sketchy characters before her death’

Read more: http://cncnws.com/blog/2013/02/08/m...et-and-claims-they-only-met-for-a-cup-of-tea/

Here's more (bbm):

Police are also investigating whether she was involved with any criminal activity while in Turkey after she was seen with ‘a criminal element’.

Investigators said the 33-year-old was last spotted on surveillance tape wearing a coat and carrying a handbag, which were not found with her body, Turkish media reported.

It was also said that she was not wearing pants at the time and they were found ripped nearby, though police said there were no obvious signs of sexual assault......

......She told her family she wanted to pursue her dream of taking pictures in Turkey – yet her only equipment was an iPad and Droid phone. Both items were missing when Sarai’s body was found but the murderer did not take her wedding ring or other jewellery.

Meanwhile, a witness has told Istanbul police that he saw Sierra speaking to a different man outside the city’s Sultanahmet Mosque on January 11, just days after she arrived in the country.

He handed her a card and as she left the mosque, she took a walk with him and four or five other men, the witness claimed, Turkish newspaper Milliyet reported.....

.....The witness said he then saw Sierra talking with the same man on January 21 at Topkapi Palace – the day she was due to fly home, but she never boarded the flight.

 

[ThinkHard]

Country vs. Country is different than City vs. City.

Totally agree I only posted them in reference to the 2004 stats of the same nature posted previously.

 

[lavy]

Man denies having sex with murdered New York mother in Turkish bar toilet and claims they only met for a cup of tea

I haven't seen anything about him denying this in Turkish media.

Seems like "lost in translation" to me.

 

[Yellow]

He's the killer. I hope. Otherwise Imma look dumb. Which isn't to say it hasn't happened before.

I think he didn't help look for her or come forward when police asked him to because he already knew what the rest of the world couldn't- she was dead.

I think he had sex with her on the day she went missing. At his place. I think something weird happened and he got angry. When she tried to leave, he killed her. He dumped her body at the walls, knowing that surveillance would have picked her up going there, and that she had made previous statements online to others about heading that direction the day she went missing. He couldn't dump her at the bridge proper, obviously, but the walls are even better. He gets to blame the weakling 14 y/o glue sniffing druggies that frequent the area. He know she won't be found immediately, which means the elements would have taken care of 99% of the forensic stuff that usually gets people like him caught.

When reports came out that there was semen on her body, he panicked and admitted to a sexual relationship he had denied up to that point. He wasn't sure if they were mistaken or bluffing, but he wasn't taking any chances.

Yup. That's my theory right there.

I think this is my most likely scenario too... But what about the DNA, which we assume that the killer's DNA is not a match (we have to assume the DNA here is not semen bc then they could not eliminate him)

Or do we assume Turkish press is wrong? Do we have definite and reliable confirmation he was cleared??