Lindenhurst Man Sentenced to 24 Years For Killing Ex-Wife

A Lindenhurst man will be spending the next 24 years in prison after he was sentenced on Wednesday for choking and stabbing his ex-wife to death in 2010.

Muhammet Karadag, a 53 of North Erie Avenue, was found guilty of stabbing and choking his wife on August 29, 2010, as well as setting his Lindenhurst home on fire earlier that evening.

Karadag and his ex-wife, Gulcin Karadag, 49, had divorced earlier, but continued living together since neither wanted or could afford to move out, according to Newsday.

Their home, which had been the site of neighborhood barbecues and parties, went into foreclosure in 2009, causing the couple to have further financial problems.

Suffolk County Police found Muhammet, a self-employed carpenter, unconscious at Sore Thumb Beach in Babylon Village on that night in 2010 after he tried to overdose on prescription drugs. His ex-wife's body, wrapped in a blanket, was found in the backseat of his Chevrolet Tahoe.

Karadag reportedly mumbled a few words during his sentencing, including "I'm sorry" before he was sentenced by Suffolk County Judge Martin Efman.

Karadag will be eligible for parole in 21 years, a district attorney's office spokesman said.

Karadag's lawyer, Joseph Hanshe of Sayville, called the events that unfolded "devastating." He also said Karadag has expressed extreme remorse for what he did.