A homeless man known only as Ziya T, confessed to the murder of Staten Island tourist and mother Sarai Sierra. "After being arrested by Turkish authorities, the suspected murderer of Sarai Sierra - a 33-year-old Staten Island mother killed while vacationing alone in Turkey - reportedly confessed to her brutal slaying," stated today's issue of The Staten Island Advance.
"After an hour of questioning in Istanbul's Caglayan Courthouse on Monday, the suspect, identified only as Ziya T., reportedly confessed to killing Ms. Sierra," added the Hurriyet Daily News is reporting.
"The suspect told police that he was intoxicated during the half hour struggle that led to his bludgeoning of Ms. Sierra and leaving her dead in just her shirt and underwear," according to the report that was also included in today's Advance.
Ziya T. allegedly told police he grabbed Ms. Sierra and tried to kiss her. "When she fought back by hitting him with her cell phone, a struggle ensued as he dragged her into an alcove," according to Turkish media reports also reported in The Advance.
Steven Sierra, Ms. Sierra's husband, said he eagerly awaits the Turkish court system to bring his wife's murderer to justice. "He's (Ziya T.) still a suspect. Because I'm not getting an official statement from the authorities at this time, I'm not sure yet whether or not this is the correct individual," said Sierra to the Advance on Monday. "When I get the official statement, I can give more information. At this point, I'm left in the dark as well."
Of the confession, which Sierra saw on the Internet, he said, "From what I'm hearing he's (Ziya T.) confessing something, but I don't know whether that's true or not because I don't understand his language." His concern is that police arrest the correct person for his wife's murder, added The Advance.
"You just want the correct person or persons to be (caught). I would hate for someone to be falsely accused, or at the same time, I've heard reports that people have confessed out of fear. I would hate for that to be this case," said Sierra to The Advance.
As to whether he thinks that Ziya T. is the man who brutally ended his wife's life, he said, "I don't know what to think or feel. It's such a difficult time for my family and I... It's sad when you know someone you deeply love and had so many years to go was taken in such a tragic way. That's painful," he added to The Advance.
Pain never ends
While media reports continue to focus on finding Ms. Sierra's killer, Sierra and his two sons, Sion, 11, and Silas, 9, are forced to live each day in pain, adds The Advance.
"Whether they find who did this or not, the pain is still there. The loss of someone you deeply love is still there, and the way it happened is still traumatizing; it's still painful," he said to The Advance.
"They can find the right person or persons and give them whatever justice they feel needs to be done, but it doesn't change what took place in our family. It doesn't bring peace. It would be nice to know who is responsible is caught so that person doesn't do it to someone else. But it doesn't change what happened to our home and family," he added to The Advance.
Video footage confirms Ziya T is responsible for murder
"New footage of Ziya T. was released Monday reportedly showing his admission of killing Ms. Sierra, who was vacationing solo in Turkey while exploring her photography hobby," adds The Advance. Ziya T. did note, however, that he didn't remember the details of the incident, according to the video.
The video, leaked to the media without any information about who filmed it or how it was recorded, depicts the suspect speaking candidly about the murder, news reports say, according to The Advance.
"I had lost myself. I don't remember the incident much - I had sniffed too much glue," Ziya T. reportedly said on the video, according to The Advance. "When I came in the morning, I probably hit her with a heavy object in the head."
His confession also included an admission of consuming alcohol from 9 a.m. until 2.30 p.m. on the day of Ms. Sierra's murder, Turkish media reported, adds The Advance. "While I was sitting next to the railway I saw a woman coming toward me. She was taking photographs while walking. When she was in front of me I tried to kiss her; she resisted me, and a scuffle broke out between the two of us. She hit me with her mobile phone and blood began pouring from my nose, getting everywhere, I got so angry I hit her with all the strength I have," Ziya T. reportedly said on the video to The Advance.
The suspect reportedly returned the next day to the alleyway where he killed Ms. Sierra. Turkish media reported that he covered her with two blankets, robbed her cell phone and iPad, and later tossed both items into the sea, adds The Advance.
Turkish news reports have described Ziya T. as a homeless scrap paper collector who used to hang around the city walls.
The sadness of this story is palpable as we realize the pain the Sierra family must be feeling as well as the family of the victim. Two motherless children and their father must learn to live with the pain Sarai Sierra's senseless death must cause them. Justice may be done finally and closure may be reached but we can only hope that in justice will come some closure. We must need to teach young people the importance of not traveling alone and teach our children and students about how important it is not to to talk to strangers. We hope that other tourists may learn from the mistakes made by this young woman in Turkey.
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