A court in Almaty has begun hearing the case of six people aged 17 to 21 charged in connection with a mass brawl that left two 17-year-old teenagers dead, infohub.kz reports.
The criminal cases are being heard separately. The court has already reviewed the first case, concerning the killing of one of the young men. In that case, one defendant faces a murder charge, another is suspected of robbery, and the rest of hooliganism. Three defendants have been in custody for five months, while the other three are under house arrest.
"We filed a motion to combine the criminal cases into a single proceeding. It was one incident, the fight happened in one place, and they are closely interconnected. It makes sense to hear them in one proceeding. Why? Because there will be witness testimony. They may be called as witnesses in our case," said lawyer Meirman Shekeyev.
Recall that the tragedy occurred on the night of April 30. During the mass brawl, two minors suffered stab wounds. The victims were taken to hospital in serious condition, but could not be saved. Police said all suspects were detained.
A criminal case was opened over the killing. Investigators established who inflicted the fatal wounds on the teenagers. The suspects face up to 15 years in prison.
Relatives of one of the deceased claimed that one of the suspects had allegedly extorted money from their son for several months. The Ministry of Internal Affairs said three criminal cases had been opened.