Man who had killed two wives arrested for killing third wife

A man, who had been convicted of murdering two wives at different times, was arrested in Turkey for allegedly killing his third wife on Friday.

The man named Necati Akpinar was heard on 30 December loudly arguing with his wife, who he married a month earlier by a religious ceremony, Turkish news agency DHA said, citing witnesses.

The man then reportedly dug a trench near an abandoned building 30 m from his house, carried the dead body and buried it in the trench.

The police, who arrived at the scene a couple of hours later on tips of neighbors, launched a search and quickly recovered the corpse, covered with soil and lime.

The man claimed that his wife Mutlu Menekse was already dead when he came home, and that he buried the corpse because he thought nobody would believe him because of his criminal record.

He had killed his first wife Emine Akpinar with a blade in 1984, and his second wife Fatma Akpinar in 2003 by scorching her with a steam iron.

He was released two years earlier "in the context of Covid-19 measures," DHA said.