A member of the U.S. reality TV show Below Deck has been arrested in Turkey following a fatal altercation in Bodrum, as reported by local media on Thursday. Joao Franco, aged 36, along with his brother Carlos, reportedly got into a dispute with shopkeepers last Saturday.
According to the private Demiroren News Agency, the incident occurred in the evening. Franco has been featured as a yacht captain on Bravo’s Below Deck Down Under and Below Deck Mediterranean, and also appeared on The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.
The brothers were allegedly intoxicated, leading to a verbal confrontation. An ensuing fight resulted in 17-year-old Muhammet Koyabakan falling and hitting his head. He suffered a severe head injury and went into cardiac arrest but was initially revived at the scene, as detailed by the regional Voices Newspaper. He was then transported to a hospital where he passed away on Monday.
The Franco brothers, who hold Portuguese nationality, were detained and later formally arrested. Although specifics of the charges remain unstated, Demiroren reports they claimed they acted in self-defense after being attacked. They denied causing harm to Koyabakan.
Bodrum, located on the Aegean Sea, is a popular destination for wealthy yacht owners. Prominent visitors include billionaires like Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos.
The Below Deck series, which premiered in 2013 on Bravo, chronicles the lives of crew members on luxury yachts and their interactions with each other and guests. In his Bravo bio, Franco states he has eight years of yachting industry experience and describes himself as a ‘jack of all trades.’ His career, as captured across four series of the show, progressed from deckhand to captain.
In an interview with the Majorca Daily Bulletin, Franco revealed that he and his brother initially ventured into the business of crafting recreational vehicles in South Africa before transitioning to yachting. Franco emphasized his ambition to climb the ranks, spending any spare time advancing his qualifications.
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