Cevher Toktas, a 32-year-old Turkish soccer player, has been taken into custody after acknowledging to authorities that he suffocated his five-year-old son by covering him with a pillow while the child was receiving medical care in a hospital.
The admission came nearly two weeks after the tragic incident, with Toktas revealing what he had done during an interaction with the police.
As reported by The Sun, Toktas confessed to ending his son’s life by smothering him while the little one was hospitalized with COVID-19. In a disturbing statement quoted by local media, Toktas is reported to have said, “I held a pillow on my son, who was lying down. I kept pressing on the pillow for about 15 minutes without raising it. My son was struggling during this time. Once he stopped moving, I removed the pillow. Then I called for help from doctors to divert any suspicions away from myself.”
Allegedly, he informed investigators that he murdered Kasim because he did not feel any affection for him and had never experienced love for his youngest child “from the moment he was born.” He asserted that his lack of fondness for the child was the primary motive for his actions and further added, “…I do not suffer from any mental health problems.”
Toktas is expected to stand trial for the crime of murder and could potentially face a lifetime prison sentence. Authorities have issued orders for the exhumation of the child’s body for a post-mortem examination.
