A man has been found guilty of murdering his wife and tying up his son in their Kingston home earlier this year.
Fatih Ketenci, 48, broke into the family home off Virginia Avenue Northeast on February 26 after returning from a trip to Turkey, where he’s originally from.
Kitsap County authorities say Ketenci murdered his estranged wife, tied up his teenage son, and threatened to kill him.
Deputies arrested Ketenci shortly after the murder.
A jury in Kitsap County Superior Court found Ketenci guilty on 15 counts, including first-degree murder, kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment, assault, burglary, robbery, felony harassment and several court order violations.
Ketenci is scheduled to be sentenced on November 14.
The 15-count conviction spanning first-degree murder, kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment, assault, burglary, robbery, felony harassment, and multiple court order violations demonstrates the comprehensive criminal case prosecutors built documenting every aspect of Ketenci’s violent home invasion.
Fatih Ketenci’s 48-year-old age places him in middle age when the February 26 murder occurred, with the estranged wife designation indicating the couple had separated before the killing, likely due to domestic violence that escalated to homicide.
The Virginia Avenue Northeast Kingston location places the murder in a Kitsap County residential neighborhood across Puget Sound from Seattle, a quiet community where such violent crimes shock residents accustomed to lower crime rates than urban areas.
The Turkey trip timing immediately before the murder raises questions about whether Ketenci traveled abroad to prepare mentally for the killing, visit family before anticipated imprisonment, or attempt to establish alibi suggesting he was out of the country during the crime.
The “broke into” characterization indicates Ketenci lacked keys or legal access to the family home, suggesting protective orders or separation agreements barred him from the residence where his estranged wife and teenage son lived.
The teenage son’s presence during his mother’s murder creates lifelong trauma where the child witnessed or heard his father kill his mother before being tied up and threatened with death, psychological damage requiring extensive therapy.
The threat to kill the son after murdering the mother demonstrates Ketenci’s willingness to commit familicide, a domestic violence pattern where perpetrators murder entire families rather than allowing ex-spouses to move on with their lives.
The rapid arrest “shortly after the murder” suggests either the tied-up son freed himself and called 911, neighbors heard screams and contacted police, or Ketenci himself called authorities after the killing in a moment of remorse or suicide-by-cop attempt.
The first-degree murder conviction requiring premeditation indicates prosecutors proved Ketenci planned the killing in advance, with the Turkey trip, forced entry, and son’s restraint demonstrating calculated actions rather than spontaneous passion crime.
The kidnapping charge for restraining the teenage son applies even though Ketenci is the biological father, as unlawfully confining anyone against their will through force or threat constitutes kidnapping regardless of familial relationships.
The unlawful imprisonment count separate from kidnapping likely addresses the duration Ketenci held his son captive, with imprisonment charges applying to confinement while kidnapping addresses the movement or asportation element.
The assault charge probably relates to physical violence against either the murdered wife or the teenage son, with prosecutors charging every applicable crime to ensure maximum accountability and sentencing exposure.
The burglary count for breaking into the family home transforms what might seem like a domestic dispute into a property crime, with forced entry into a dwelling demonstrating criminal intent that elevates the offense.
The robbery charge suggests Ketenci took property belonging to his estranged wife or son during the incident, potentially seizing phones to prevent 911 calls or taking valuables as he fled before arrest.
The felony harassment conviction likely stems from the death threats against the teenage son, with Washington’s harassment statutes elevating threats to kill into felony offenses carrying substantial prison time.
The “several court order violations” language indicates Ketenci defied multiple protective orders or no-contact orders that judges issued protecting the wife and son from exactly the violence that ultimately occurred.
The November 14 sentencing date provides the judge time to review pre-sentence reports, victim impact statements from the surviving son and extended family, and defense mitigation arguments before imposing what will likely be a life sentence.
The first-degree murder conviction carries mandatory minimum life sentence without parole possibility in Washington state, meaning Ketenci will die in prison regardless of other counts running concurrent or consecutive.
The estranged wife’s name withheld from the story reflects journalistic practices protecting domestic violence victims’ identities, though court records likely contain her name for anyone searching Kitsap County Superior Court files.
The teenage son’s anonymity protects a minor who witnessed his mother’s murder and survived his own near-death experience, allowing him to rebuild his life without public identification as a crime victim.
Kingston’s small-town character where neighbors likely knew the family means the murder resonated throughout the community, with residents processing how domestic violence escalated to homicide in their midst.
The case exemplifies domestic violence lethality risks where separation from abusive partners triggers fatal attacks, with estranged wives facing heightened danger during the period immediately following relationship termination.
