Ayhan Kartal (born Ayhan Korniş; 1966 – March 13, 2000) was a Turkish rapist and child killer. He was stabbed to death by his roommates in a mental hospital.

On April 20, 1985, Ayhan Korniş killed the 13-year-old Armağan Kayadipli by strangling him after he raped him in the İkiçeşmelik quarter of Kemeraltı district in Izmir.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]} He was placed in a mental hospital in Bakırköy, Istanbul,^[5] and was released following about one-year long psychiatric treatment.^{[1][2][3][4][6]} He changed his surname from Korniş to Kartal.^[1][4]

On September 23, 1989, Kartal raped and killed the 9-year-old boy Barış Kurt in Şirinyer, Izmir.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]} He was apprehended while he was hiding in a chest at his home at Pınarbaşı, Bornova in Izmir.^[1][2][4]

In 1992, Kartal was transferred to Manisa Psychiatric Hospital for the diagnosis and treatment of his mental disorder.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]} He escaped from the hospital on October 14, 1993, but was apprehended after a while in Izmir, and brought back to the hospital.^[1][4] He confessed to the authorities that "he feels himself close to children, and he can have intercourse with children only".^[1][2][4] He was nicknamed "The Beast of Izmir" (Turkish: İzmir Canavarı).^[1]

In the mental hospital, Kartal was afraid of the serial killer Süleyman Aktaş, nicknamed "The Nailing Killer" (Turkish: Çivici katil), with whom he shared the same ward.^[6] After a while, he was relocated to another ward following his request.^[6] In the night of March 13, 2000, Kartal was stabbed once in the throat and three times in the stomach by his two roommates,^[5] the serial killer Ali Kaya (23), nicknamed "The Babyface Killer",^[7] and Tayfun Şahin (32), in the 17-people hospital ward.^{[1][2][3][4][6]} The physician on duty found him with wounds in blood, and arranged his transfer to an emergency station after persuading and passivating the two offenders.^[1] Kartal died underway.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}