You Only Have 10 Minutes, Boy Tells His Parents After Poisoning Them

An undergraduate studying Chemistry at the Izmir’s Dokuz Eylül University, Turkey, has been accused of killing his parents by serving them a syrup laced with potassium cyanide.

Cyanide is a highly toxic chemical and can cause death at high concentrations, Hurriyet Daily News has reported.

Mahmut Can Kalkan, 21, also allegedly tried to persuade his two siblings, aged 16 and four, to drink the poisoned syrup, but the 16-year-old resisted, causing the deadly cocktail to spill.

Although the two siblings did not drink the cyanide, they experienced effects from exposure to it.

Mahmut has not stated the reasons for his action.

The poisoning occurred at the Kalkan family home in the Aegean province of İzmir’s Bayraklı district of Turkey, reports said.

Mahmut said he ordered the potassium cyanide through an online website and prepared a syrup, using the toxic substance.

He gave the mixture to his parents, Mehmet and Fatma Kalkan, telling them: “I have prepared an interesting syrup; taste it.”

After drinking the mixture, Fatma and Mehmet reportedly lost partial consciousness.

But later, his mother Fatma collected herself and asked for help from neighbours, who came to the house and noticed the toxic substance’s odour. They then notified the Police and health officials.

All the five members of the Kalkan family were hospitalised –including Mahmut himself, and officials evacuated their apartment flat as a precaution.

Mehmet and Fatma died at the hospital, despite doctors’ efforts.

The 16-year-old sibling experienced temporary blindness from exposure to the toxic substance. But his eyesight gradually recovered after treatment.

Mahmut confessed to the Police in his initial testimony that he killed his parents.

He was reported to have told his parents: “You have only 10 minutes left” after making them drink his “syrup.”

He was then sent to a hospital for a mental health evaluation, which diagnosed him with schizophrenia. He was later arrested on a court order.

Mahmut reportedly experienced psychological problems recently, especially after he incurred large financial losses due to online businesses he was managing.