Life sentence handed to accused in murder of Nurai Serikbay
"Murder," "Bride Kidnapping," and "Stalking"
Judge Sammidin Temiraliev found Aimakhan guilty under three separate articles of the Criminal Code and handed down the following sentences for each count:
under Article 99, Part 2, Paragraph 5 — "Murder committed with extreme cruelty" — life imprisonment;
under Article 125-1 — "Forcing a person into marriage" — 2 years of imprisonment;
under Article 115-1 — "Stalking" — 200 hours of community service.
"Sherkhan Aimakhan is sentenced to life imprisonment to be served in a maximum-security penal system institution," the presiding judge read.
Earlier, prosecutor Madiyar Abilkasimov had requested a life sentence for the defendant.
25 Million Tenge in Moral Damages Instead of 10 Billion
The court also partially granted the victims' civil lawsuit. The defendant must pay Nuray's family 25 million tenge in compensation for moral damages and the and 5 million tenge for legal fees.
Additionally, the following sums were recovered from Aimakhan:
2,162,000 tenge as a mandatory state payment,
1,205,695 tenge in procedural costs,
129,250 tenge to the Victim Compensation Fund.
The court also recognized the victims' right to reimbursement for material expenses related to the funeral and other costs; however, the exact amount will be determined separately through civil proceedings.
"Once the sentence takes legal effect, a 2-month deadline is set for the convict Aimakhan to compensate the civil plaintiff Bauyrzhan Sagynbek (the victim's father – ed. note). Should the convict Aimakhan fail to voluntarily comply with the court's judgment within the established timeframe, this part of the sentence shall be sent for compulsory enforcement," Judge Temiraliev read.
Note: Consequently, the defendant must pay Nuray's family 30 million tenge (25 million tenge for moral damages and 5 million tenge for legal fees), and over 3.4 million tenge to the state and relevant funds.
Earlier, on August 7, Nuray's family demanded 14.7 million tenge as reimbursement for material damages, increasing the amount to 15.7 million tenge on August 11.
Furthermore, the relatives requested that 10 billion tenge be recovered from the defendant as compensation for moral damages. The family planned to donate this money to charity.
76 Calls in 90 Minutes: The Charges Against the Defendant
On July 23, the court reconstructed the timeline of the tragedy. Prosecutor Madiyar Abilkasimov read the indictment, which consisted of three episodes.
According to the investigation, the defendant met Nuray in the summer of 2025; by autumn, he kidnapped her in Almaty and took her to his relatives' home in the Turkistan region to force her into marriage. At that time, the girl's brothers, assisted by police, were able to bring her home.
Following this, investigators say the man stalked the girl: over the course of several days, he called her more than 154 times and lay in wait for her near her home in Almaty.
According to the investigation, on the evening of January 11, 2026, near Nuray’s family home in Shymkent, the man inflicted 35 stab wounds on her. The young woman died at the scene, and the suspect was detained two days later.
Screenshot of the online court session
"I Was in a State of Temporary Insanity": The Defendant's Version
During the July 28 hearing, the defendant denied the kidnapping and stalking charges.
He claimed he was in a relationship with the girl and had proposed to her, and that on the day of the tragedy, he had come to return the ring and break up.
According to his version, Nuray was the first to strike him with a knife, after which he allegedly fell into a "state of affect" (temporary insanity) and does not remember inflicting the fatal wounds. Sherkhan Aimakhan also claimed that he has suffered from a psychiatric disorder since 2019 following a head injury.
Note: In April, during the investigation, the suspect was transferred from pre-trial detention to a specialized psychiatric hospital in the village of Aktas, Almaty region, for a forensic psychiatric evaluation. At the time, Nuray's relatives feared the suspect might attempt to evade criminal liability by feigning a mental disorder. However, the evaluation found the suspect to be sane.
On August 11, experts from the Almaty Institute of Forensic Science—psychiatrist Temirlan Seytek and psychologist Kulyash Kozhamzharova—testified in court. They refuted the defendant's claim of being in a "state of affect" and stated that he "was capable of controlling his actions."
The defendant speaking in court / Screenshot of the online court session
Family’s reports were ignored
The tragedy occurred on January 11. Surveillance footage that circulated online shows a man stalking a young woman; she attempts to flee and resists before he stabs her and flees the scene. On January 13, the suspect was apprehended 10 kilometers from the city.
Details about the suspect shared by the victim's brother, Sultan Serikbai, sparked a wave of public outrage in the media and on social networks.
It emerged that the suspect had been stalking his sister since the summer of 2025, after meeting her at a wedding. The girl tactfully declined his persistent advances, but in October, the man escalated to radical actions.
"He took her phone, forced her into a car, and drove her from Almaty to Shymkent. Nurai was in her loungewear and only went out to him to say, 'Stop following me, stop stalking me.' She always respected her elders, and he was 28. He took advantage of that and abducted her," said Nurai’s brother, Sultan.
At that time, Sultan and his older brother only managed to rescue their sister after calling the police.
Subsequently, the victim's family repeatedly contacted the police and the prosecutor's office to report the abduction, but according to relatives, their reports were never filed. A few months later, the young woman was murdered.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev reacted to the situation during a meeting of the National Kurultai on January 20, ordering an evaluation of the police's actions.
On the same day, it was announced that Nurlan Almasbekov, then the police chief of Shymkent, had been dismissed from his post, and a criminal investigation for negligence was launched
The controversial video of Nurai
Following these events, a video began circulating on social media, allegedly leaked by former employees of the Shymkent police department. In the recording, Nurai Serikbai claims she was not abducted for forced marriage and that she supposedly entered the suspect's car voluntarily that day. In the clip, Nurai also states that she has no grievances against the man.
Note: On August 7, the results of a forensic examination of this video were presented in court. Experts concluded that Nurai's speech in the recording was scripted and showed signs of premeditated coaching.
On July 31, the investigator who filmed the video on his personal phone testified in court. He had responded to the initial call regarding Nurai's abduction. The victim's brothers claimed that while the girl was being held in a neighboring room, this same police officer sat at the same table as the defendant's father, "drinking tea and eating baursaks."
The former investigator denied this, claiming Nurai told him she had come voluntarily. He later recorded her statement on video.
The family's lawyers stated that the victims' side has filed an official complaint for breach of investigative privilege and has submitted a grievance to the Prosecutor General's Office.