In Semey, the former boyfriend of 20-year-old Dilnaz Zhumagulova has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for her murder. The victim's family had pushed for the crime to be classified as murder with extreme cruelty, but the court found no such aggravating circumstances, infohub.kz reports.
The case was heard by a specialized inter-district criminal court. The defendant was found guilty under Part 1 of Article 99 of the Criminal Code.
"To find him guilty of the crime under Part 1 of Article 99 of the Criminal Code and sentence him to 14 years of imprisonment, to be served in a medium-security penal institution," Judge Niyaz Khasenbayev announced in the verdict.
Dilnaz Zhumagulova died on the night of July 13 in the village of Borodulikha, Abai Region. According to KTK television channel, the young woman had quarreled with her ex-boyfriend, whom she had known since school.
As heard in court, during the conflict the young woman slapped the man. He struck her back and then used a knife. He first inflicted a wound to her neck, severing an artery, then struck her head and continued stabbing her.
After the attack, the man tried to dispose of the body: he dragged it for some time but then left it in the middle of the road. The court did not find signs of murder with extreme cruelty, which the victim's relatives had insisted on.
The convicted man was ordered to pay Dilnaz's family 20 million tenge in moral damages, more than 1 million tenge in material damages, and 500,000 tenge in legal representation costs.
The victim's father, Sabyrzhan Temirkhan, said he intends to consult with lawyers. The family has not yet made a final decision on appealing the verdict.
"Since the case came under Part 1 of Article 99... Yes, so, yes, we are satisfied. Because here it's from eight to 15. The prosecutor asked for 14 years and 6 months. The judge gave 14 years. I will appeal to higher authorities, I will still consult with lawyers there. She fought for her life. There were traces of struggle in two places, then he inflicted knife wounds on her there," Sabyrzhan Temirkhan said.
According to KTK, the defendant's guilt was fully proven, but he admitted it only partially. The verdict has not yet entered into legal force and may be appealed.