Defendant Sherkhan Aymakhan in his final statement in the case of the murder of Nurai Serikbai asked forgiveness from the family of the deceased, said he is ready to compensate material damage, but refused to recognize the claim for compensation of moral damage of 10 billion tenge. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.

Aymakhan began his speech with condolences to the parents and brothers of Nurai Serikbai. He stated that he had sincere feelings for the girl and regrets what happened.

"I loved Nurai very much, I had sincere feelings. I express my condolences to her parents and sincerely repent. I ask forgiveness from Nurai's father, mother and two brothers," said Sherkhan Aymakhan.

The defendant also stated that he is ready to compensate the material damage claimed by the injured party in the amount of 15 million 739 thousand 65 tenge. At the same time, he did not recognize the claim for compensation of moral damage of 10 billion tenge.

"I fully take responsibility for the material damage and am ready to compensate it in the future by working. I do not recognize moral compensation in the amount of 10 billion tenge. I am very sorry about what happened and will regret it all my life," Aymakhan said.

A significant part of the final statement was devoted to his relationship with the deceased. He again claimed that there were mutual feelings between them, they met, discussed starting a family and continued to communicate after the girl left to study in Almaty.

Aymakhan also insisted on his version of the events of October 2025, according to which Nurai allegedly voluntarily agreed to go with him from Almaty to Shymkent. In support of his words, he cited stops during the trip, the girl's access to the phone and the opportunity to ask for help. The injured party and the prosecution had previously disputed this version. During the trial, the court examined Nurai's statements, correspondence, video recordings and other materials.

Speaking about the events of January 11, the defendant stated that he intended to meet Nurai for the last time, return the ring he had left and end the relationship.

"I came to Nurai to say goodbye. I had no intention of killing her," Aymakhan said.

He also repeated his version of how he got the knife. According to the defendant, shortly before the meeting, he found it in the car and put it in the pocket of his hoodie, without attaching any importance to it. Aymakhan again explained the subsequent events by memory loss, saying that after the conflict he remembers only individual episodes.

The defendant also questioned the number of knife wounds established by the investigation, citing the duration of the video recording of the attack.

"On the video, the very moment of inflicting wounds lasts, as it seems to me, about 9-10 seconds. At the same time, 35 wounds are mentioned. I believe that this also needs to be paid attention to," Aymakhan said.

The forensic medical examination previously established 35 knife wounds on Nurai Serikbai's body. At one of the previous meetings, expert Zhanbolat Pernebekov showed their location on an anatomical mannequin.

In his final statement, Aymakhan also again disagreed with the conclusion of the forensic psychological and psychiatric examination. In his opinion, inflicting 35 wounds in a short period of time is physically impossible, and examining his mental state several months after the incident does not allow to reliably determine the state at that moment.

Earlier, a forensic psychiatrist reported that the disorder diagnosed in the defendant did not deprive him of the ability to realize the actual nature and social danger of his actions and control them. A forensic psychologist, in turn, did not identify a set of signs necessary to confirm a state of physiological affect.

At the end of his speech, Aymakhan again addressed the relatives of the deceased.

"I sincerely regret what happened. I ask forgiveness from Nurai's father, mother and two brothers. First of all, I ask forgiveness from Nurai herself, although she is no longer with us. I loved her very much and sincerely repent," the defendant said.

After the final statement, presiding judge Sammidin Temiraliev announced that the verdict would be announced on Thursday, August 13.

On August 11, the sixth hearing in the case ended. The court interrogated a forensic psychiatrist and psychologist online, considered defense motions and completed the debate of the parties.

The state prosecutor asked to sentence Aymakhan to life imprisonment. The same punishment was demanded by representatives of the injured party and Nurai Serikbai's father. The defense disputes part of the charges and insists on its version of the relationship between the defendant and the deceased.

21-year-old Nurai Serikbai died on January 11, 2026. According to the prosecution, Aymakhan previously kidnapped the girl to force her into marriage according to the "alyp kashu" rite, and after her refusal continued to pursue her. The investigation believes that on the day of the murder he inflicted 35 knife wounds on her, after which he fled. The suspect was detained two days later.

Aymakhan was charged with forced marriage, stalking and murder with extreme cruelty. During the investigation, he was sent for a forensic psychiatric examination, which found him sane.