Finnish court hands life sentence for fatal shooting of pregnant ex-wife in Espoo

A district court in western Uusimaa has sentenced a man to life imprisonment for fatally shooting his pregnant ex-wife in Espoo last August, Yle reports.

Engin Gezer was convicted of murder and firearms offences after ambushing the woman outside her residential building in the Henttaa neighbourhood. The court rejected his request for a psychiatric evaluation.

A second man, Fesih Basinc, received a three-year prison term for aiding the murder and illegal possession of a firearm.

Judges ruled the killing was motivated by the defendant’s belief that his ex-wife—who was pregnant by another man—had damaged his family’s reputation and his desire to control her. Their children witnessed the attack.

The victim, whose name was withheld, was shot three times in the back as she crouched in the building’s stairwell after stumbling while trying to flee. She died at the scene. Police arrested Gezer immediately after the shooting.

The verdict is not yet final and may be appealed to a higher court.