Cops: Babysitter strangled by Stamford father
STAMFORD — A Turkish national was arrested after allegedly strangling and threatening his live-in babysitter after she told the man she was going to quit. Omer Ekinci, 42, of Westover Lane, Stamford, was charged with thirddegree assault, third-degree strangulation, risk of injury to a minor and threatening and was released after posting a $25,000 bond.
His attorney, Audrey Felsen, said Ekinci is focused only on his daughter and is ensuring she gets the help she needs.
According to his threepage arrest affidavit, a 49-year-old Turkish woman appeared at Stamford police headquarters Jan. 30 to complain that Ekinci had assaulted her 13 days earlier.
The woman said she had been a live-in babysitter for Ekinci for the past seven months but did not feel safe in the home any more. The woman told police Ekinci cannot control his anger and has made motions toward her as if he is going to hit her many times.
The woman said on Jan. 17 they were in Ekinci’s car taking his sick daughter to a hospital in the Bronx, when she told him she was going to quit. Ekinci asked her to stay on, but she said no.
The woman said Ekinci became enraged. When she continued to tell him why she wanted to quit, he grabbed her by the throat with both hands and squeezed, cutting off her air for two to three seconds, she said.
Once he let her go, he threatened to kill her and her family in Turkey, she told police. The woman said Ekinci was very powerful and has a lot of influence in Turkey and she became afraid for the safety of her family.
The woman showed police the pictures she took of her neck, that showed she had red marks there from the assault, the affidavit said.