Bicycle repairman Temel Kobya (49) stabbed to death in his shop on Jan Tooropstraat

Temel Kobya, a 49-year-old bicycle repairman from Amsterdam-West, was killed on Tuesday, 15 March 2016, inside his own bicycle shop on Jan Tooropstraat in Amsterdam. Kobya was originally from Turkey, had lived in the Netherlands for decades, was married and had children. In the neighbourhood, he was known as a kind and hardworking man who had built a modest living through his bicycle business. His shop, Kobya Fietsen, had its entrance on Jan Tooropstraat and looked out at the back onto Karel Klinkenbergstraat. On the day of his death, shortly after 12:30, he was found seriously injured at the back of the shop. He had a large number of stab wounds, including wounds to his chest, and was no longer responsive. Emergency services tried to resuscitate him, but Temel Kobya died at the scene from his injuries. At first, it did not seem as if much had been taken from the shop: money was still in the cash register and valuable items were still in his clothing. Later, however, it became clear that his wallet was missing. According to relatives, he often carried a wallet containing a €500 note, meant for larger purchases for his business. That became an important line of investigation. Police looked into who had been in contact with him shortly before his death and released a composite drawing of an unknown man who was said to have spoken with Temel outside the shop shortly before the murder. Eventually, Irfan E., a man from Amsterdam-West, came into view. DNA traces on Temel Kobya’s hand, jacket and cap pointed to him. Irfan E. was also said to have told a fellow inmate or acquaintance during the investigation what he had done. In court, however, he continued to deny killing the bicycle repairman. The case against Irfan E. was not only about Temel Kobya’s death. He was also prosecuted for an earlier serious assault, in which he had struck an acquaintance on the head with a hammer several months before the murder, causing a skull fracture. He was also found guilty of several thefts from apartment buildings, including parts of fire hydrants and a lightning conductor, creating dangerous situations according to the court. In the first trial, in May 2018, Irfan E. was sentenced to twenty years in prison for killing and robbing Temel Kobya and for the other violent and property offences. On appeal, the Public Prosecution Service demanded 25 years in prison. The court of appeal ultimately imposed a higher sentence than the district court: in November 2020, Irfan E. was sentenced to 21 years in prison. The murder of Temel Kobya was therefore legally concluded as a fatal robbery inside his own bicycle shop, where a well-liked neighbourhood repairman was stabbed to death in broad daylight.