Serious allegations at sternTVMerve (23) and Selin (22) murdered! Family shocked by unrepentant dead racers

Brothers convicted after fatal car race

Guilty of murder! Gürkan U., who rammed the two young women's car at excessive speed on the evening of March 20, 2025, received a life sentence from the Stuttgart regional court. His brother Ismail, who races through downtown Ludwigsburg in the other car, has to spend 13 years behind bars for attempted murder.

Reading tip: It was murder! Life imprisonment after illegal car racing in Ludwigsburg

Selin's family can finally breathe a sigh of relief after the verdict and reacts “happy” to the court's decision. The 22-year-old can “sleep in peace from today,” says one of her sisters in an interview with stern.

It is just as important for relatives to use their own pain to send an important message. The guilty verdict of the Raser brothers is “important for all of Germany,” explains Selin’s cousin Benan on sternTV. “Because this sends a strong signal to all of Germany, to the speeders who have to face consequences for such things.”

In the video: Family speaks on sternTV about the verdict against the speeders

Cousin didn't notice any remorse from the Raser brothers

Benan did not notice any remorse among the defendants. “You could tell they were feeling a bit self-pity,” he remembers. But his family didn't agree to that. “At least it didn’t resonate with us, perhaps with the judges. But in our family we felt that these people unfortunately cannot be taught.”

Reading tip: Merve and Selin die in an illegal car race – brothers charged with murder

After the fatal accident, the mayor of Ludwigsburg contacted the bereaved and announced that he would install a speed camera on the street. Benan confirms that it was “applied on the day of the verdict”. “We are very happy that something is finally happening on this street.”

Lawyer declares murder verdict against speeder

Legally, the case is delicate: Since a change in the law in 2017, illegal car racing has been expressly punishable. Fatal victims face several years in prison, and in particularly serious cases, a conviction for murder. In the past, courts have ruled differently in similar cases, from involuntary manslaughter to murder verdicts.

“Here the court affirmed the so-called contingent intent,” explains lawyer Fatih Zingal, who represents Selin’s family, at sternTV. “This means that the perpetrators knew how dangerous their actions were and had to recognize the danger and still accepted it with approval.” The base motives and the dangerous means were recognized as features of murder; the drivers wanted to impress themselves and show off their “driving skills,” explains the lawyer.

Sources used: Stern, own RTL research, dpa