The court heard that Kaygusuz spent money on a luxury lifestyle well beyond his means. He had a £20,000 car, bought designer clothes, a new games console, and went on a trip to Turkey for a hair transplant while hoarding around £120,000 in the bank. Before carrying out the murder, he made a series of “sinister searches” online for garden tools, caustic soda, hydrochloric acid, “deed for property transfer” and “will and testament”.
He also bought rope, handcuffs, gloves, plastic overalls, tape, and a spading fork tool on Amazon. Prosecutors told jurors that these items were acquired by the defendant to restrain and kill Norma Girolami, conceal her remains by burying them, and ensure he did not get dirty and acquire any forensic traces in the process.
Kaygusuz’s defense attorney, Paul Mendelle, KC, admitted that his client’s actions were despicable. Kaygusuz had stolen from Girolami, taken her documents, told lies to her friends, defrauded banks, and lied to police. However, Mendelle argued that Kaygusuz did not murder Girolami, only after burying her body was his behavior dishonest, deceptive, and indefensible.
In his ruling, Judge Philip Katz KC sentenced Kaygusuz to life imprisonment and a minimum term of 35 years. The judge criticized Kaygusuz’s “utterly selfish” and “motivated by greed” actions, calling them a “premeditated, planned, and cruel murder.” He added that the defendant’s sexual advance to Girolami in a hot tub when they first met was “deliberate and sleazy rather than accidental.” The judge also criticized Kaygusuz for his “callous disrespect” for his victim and her loved ones, which demonstrated a complete absence of remorse.
