Could the tragedy have been prevented? This is the question that inevitably arises when reviewing the case files of the murder of Nurai Serikbay. According to the investigation, the crime was preceded by abduction, coercion into marriage, months of stalking, and dozens of failed pleas for help. Now, the court is tasked with giving these events a legal assessment.

The Specialized Interdistrict Criminal Court of Shymkent has begun hearings on one of the most high-profile criminal cases in recent years. In the dock is 28-year-old Sherkhan Aimakhan, who faces charges under three articles of the Criminal Code: coercion into marriage, stalking, and murder committed with particular cruelty.

According to the indictment, the defendant and Nurai Serikbay first met in the summer of 2025 at a wedding of mutual acquaintances. The two young people communicated for a while, but after the girl left for Almaty to study, the relationship effectively fizzled out. Several weeks later, the man showed up at her doorstep and proposed. When she turned him down, the investigation alleges, he resolved to win her consent at any cost.

Prosecutor Madiyar Abilkasimov told the court that on the evening of October 4, the defendant came to Nurai's rented apartment and suggested they take a stroll around the city. However, the ride ended far beyond the borders of Almaty.

"When Serikbay realized they had left Almaty and began to resist, he threatened her, saying, 'If you keep fighting, we'll both end up in a car crash,'" the state prosecutor read out in court.

The investigation established that the girl was first taken to the defendant's home, and then to his relatives in the Sairam district, where preparations for the traditional bride-greeting ceremony had already begun.

"That same evening, the defendant's family began preparing to receive the bride: they put a headscarf on Serikbay and placed her behind the shymyldyk [traditional curtain]," the indictment reads.

The girl was only freed after police intervened, following a call from her relatives. This episode later became the basis for the coercion-into-marriage charge.

However, as Madiyar Abilkasimov emphasized, the story did not end there.

The investigation believes the man continued to stalk the girl – he showed up at her home, tracked her down through mutual acquaintances, kept watch outside her rented apartment in Almaty, and tried to contact her by phone almost every day.

In the prosecution's view, the day of October 7, 2025, was particularly telling.

"Between 11:55 a.m. and 1:17 p.m., he called the victim Nurai 76 times on her mobile phone, trying to get in touch with her against her will," the prosecutor stressed.

Later that night, eight more calls followed, then dozens of further attempts to reach her. In total, according to the investigation, between October 7 and October 11, the defendant made at least 154 phone calls, despite the girl's repeated refusals to speak with him. She was eventually forced to change her phone number, but according to case materials, even that did not stop the harassment. These circumstances led investigators to charge him with stalking – a category of crime still relatively new to Kazakh judicial practice.

The third episode in the indictment concerns the events of January 11, 2026, when the defendant arrived at Nurai's house ahead of time, carrying a knife, and waited for her for several hours. When she stepped outside, he asked to talk. When she refused, he attacked.

"At that moment, Sh. A. formed the intent to kill. He produced a pre-prepared knife and inflicted five to six stab wounds on the victim," the indictment states.

Despite the girl's attempt to flee, the crime was carried through to the end.

"Failing to achieve his goal and determined to complete his criminal intent, Sh. A. approached the victim again as she lay on the ground and inflicted a total of 35 stab wounds," said Prosecutor Madiyar Abilkasimov.

A forensic medical examination established that nine of the stab wounds were penetrating. The cause of death was acute blood loss.

A psychological and psychiatric evaluation also found the defendant to be sane. Experts noted that despite having a mental disorder, he was aware of his actions and in full control of them.

After the indictment was read out, the defendant stated that he did not understand the charges brought against him.

Aiyankhan Omarov, the lawyer representing the victim's side, believes this stance is part of a deliberate defense strategy.

"In my view, this is either a calculated defense tactic or an attempt at simulation. He had previously tried to feign a mental condition," the lawyer said.

According to the attorney, the victim's side also disagrees with certain wordings in the indictment.

"She accepted his attention, they communicated, but when she realized his true intentions, she cut off contact. Over the course of two months, there were more than 140 attempts to reach her. Nurai changed her phone number several times, but he kept pursuing her," noted Aiyankhan Omarov.

Presiding Judge Samidin Temiraliyev scheduled the main trial for July 28. The proceedings are open to the public.

It is worth recalling that the murder of Nurai Serikbay prompted a review of police conduct, as officers had previously failed to give proper legal consideration to the complaints filed by the girl and her relatives.

After the tragedy, such a directive was personally issued by the President of Kazakhstan during a session of the National Kurultai.

"The death of a young girl named Nurai in Shymkent at the hands of another person has shaken the public. In this regard, I have instructed the Ministry of Internal Affairs to conduct a legal assessment of the actions of the Shymkent City Police Department. The Prosecutor General's Office has been tasked with thoroughly examining this matter," emphasized Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

As a result of the investigation, the head of the Shymkent Police Department and his first deputy were dismissed from their posts, while a separate criminal case into negligence has been opened against several other law enforcement officers.

Linar SAKTAGANOVA
Astana