A British woman accused of throwing her boyfriend to her death from a height of 30 meters from the balcony of a Turkish hotel has been released on probation.
Mary Meyers Kayley (31) denies murdering her boyfriend Reece Pegram (22) in Antalya in a fit of jealousy after a drunken fight on March 12, 2021.
The British couple were holidaying at a five-star hotel in the popular tourist resort of Side, near the city of Manavgat, when Reece fell into a concrete yard in the early hours of the morning.
Defense lawyers have now won their parole from prison after pointing out flaws in the prosecution’s case.
Kayley has been in a Turkish prison since her boyfriend’s death and prosecutors had asked for a life sentence, but she says she should be released because of her “mental problems”.
Her attorneys also pointed out that she did not flee the scene, that Pegram had cocaine and alcohol in his system at the time, and that there was a lack of evidence to prove whether the victim was pushed or simply fell.
Mary Meyers Kayley (pictured), 31, denies killing her boyfriend Reece Pegram, 22, in Antalya on March 12, 2021 in a fit of jealousy
The British couple were holidaying at a five-star hotel in the popular tourist resort of Side. In the photo: Pegram
Authorities said the couple had an argument in their hotel room shortly before his death and Kayley was arrested for “first-degree murder.”
The court heard earlier this year that police, investigating the death, found bloodstains all over the couple’s room.
Scottish-born Kayley was reportedly so drunk she had to be taken to her room by hotel staff, while court records say Pegram went to the hotel lobby to drink alcohol around 8 p.m. but was refused because he was already drunk.
Prosecutors told the trial the couple rowed frantically in the moments leading up to Pegram’s death.
An autopsy on Reece’s body reportedly found cocaine in his system.
The couple were vacationing in the coastal city of Side in Turkey’s Antalya province
The Prosecutor General of Manavgat’s charge against the suspect claims that the young couple were involved in a heated, drunken argument.
They said Kayley threw his clothes off the balcony of her hotel room before throwing them out and causing his death.
The defendant claimed that the bloodstains in the room were the result of her accidentally cutting her thumb while entering the shower and maintained that the bloodstains on the bed were from a sex session.
She initially admitted to falling out with Pegram after finding out he had been cheating on her with an ex-girlfriend.
However, she later changed her version of events, claiming that the cut on her hand was caused by broken glass and that they had argued over drug use instead.
Kayley told the court how she went to the bathroom after the heated argument but when she reappeared her boyfriend was gone.
Pegram had traces of cocaine in his body during the autopsy and had been drinking heavily on the night of the incident
She said she then went to sleep when the police arrived at the scene while she was sleeping.
Kayley, who testified in her case during the second trial, reportedly said: “I use drugs. I think I have a mental disorder.
“I have a report from England; It says that I have mental problems. I demand to be released.’
Her lawyer also argued that the autopsy report showed that Reece had alcohol, cocaine and antidepressants in his blood and that the use of these three substances together could cause people to commit suicide.
They also said: ‘It is not possible for my client to lift the deceased, who is so much heavier than herself, and throw him over the balcony railing.’
The lawyer said there was no report from the Istanbul Institute of Forensic Medicine whether the incident was caused by a throw or a fall and asked for the woman’s release.
The court ruled that Kayley should be released under court supervision unless she leaves Manavgat district.
The trial has been postponed while prosecutors try to fix flaws in the case.
In Turkey, the minimum non-parole sentence for a life sentence is 24 years (page shown).
Hayley told prosecutors at a previous hearing that Pegram was a drug lord in Britain in an apparent attempt to discredit him.
She also claimed he threatened to throw himself off the balcony the day before his death, but she managed to talk him out of it.
‘[Reece] wanted to commit suicide because he had mental problems. I was in the shower at the time, I just accidentally cut my right thumb off while getting in the shower,” Kayley said in a statement.
“When I got out of the shower I saw the person on the balcony laughing maliciously and saying he wanted to commit suicide, I blocked him. Meanwhile, the blood on my right thumb spattered the floor and walls of the room.”
In a bizarre legal move, she tried to get judges to throw out her original police statement because her official interpreter could not understand her Scottish accent.
However, the court dismissed the claim, pointing out that they had used the same interpreter during the trial.
Pegram’s body was flown back to Newcastle after the autopsy and was cremated in a family funeral on 9 May.
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Elizabeth Cabrera is an author and journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a talent for staying up-to-date on the latest news and trends, Elizabeth is dedicated to delivering informative and engaging articles that keep readers informed on the latest developments.
