Sherzat Polat: Trial Continues, New Details Emerge

29 April 2025 17:30 Orda English

The trial continued with new testimonies on April 29, 2025, Orda.kz reports.

The first to testify was 16-year-old witness Beknur Askarbek.

Askarbek said that he knew two of the defendants — Darkhan Askentay and Duman Ysqaq.

According to him, on the night of the tragedy, at approximately 11:11 p.m., Darkhan called him and asked him to transfer money to purchase beer. The money was sent from Svetlana Kaltayeva's account, Beknur's grandmother. After the transfer, Beknur sent Darkhan confirmation of the payment.

Kaltayeva was summoned to court to clarify the origin of the money transfers. From the very first minutes, she stated:

"I don't know anything. About anything. And I can't know."

The third witness to speak was Yerkebulan Toktaubayev.

He claimed that he knew only Darkhan Askentay among the defendants — they were in the same class. According to him, on the night of the killing, they met at a classmate's house, where Darkhan came with beer.

Then they allegedly went their separate ways.

I have never seen him in fights or any conflicts,
Yerkebulan described his classmate.

A police officer named Zhanibek Amirakin testified as well.

He turned out to be a classmate of the defendant Darkhan.

Having received a signal about a fight at about 00:42, I went to Mendeleyev Street. I talked to people who had gathered there and found out the details. I noticed traces of blood nearby. An investigative task force arrived at the scene. After that, they began chasing the cars, which fled the scene. In one of the areas, they found an empty car and Darkhan Askentay next to it. He did not resist, was very drunk and confirmed his participation in the fight,
the witness said.

Darkhan Askentay, according to the investigation, came to the store to buy beer.

We did not communicate closely. When detained, Darkhan did not resist and was in a state of severe alcohol intoxication.

Another witness, Zhanibek Amirakin's partner, recounted a nearly identical story; he does not know any of the accused personally.

Residents reported the make of the car in which the participants fled. The police went in pursuit and noticed a Golf with a broken window. Darkhan Askentay got out of the car — he had a black eye,
said police officer Dauren Kuramysov.

Kuramysov noted that the store had dim lighting, but it was still possible to discern what was happening.

In the store, he met an elderly woman who asked: "Is my grandson okay?" He replied: "Don't worry."

This was Sherzat's grandmother.

Chika

Prosecutor Dana Sarsenbay read out the statement of Nurganat Gaipbayev, Sherzat's uncle, which he gave during the investigation.

Gaipbayev is believed to have committed suicide in December 2024.

On the night of the tragedy, Nurganat was sleeping at home. He was woken up by Sherzat’s mother, who said that her son had gotten into a conflict with someone. Upon arriving at the scene, near a store, Nurganat saw that his nephew was arguing with Darkhan.

Sherzat asked him why he had spoken rudely to his father. In response, the defendant Darkhan Askentay insulted Sherzat’s mother during the argument. Then Sherzat hit him. Karzhaubay said to Darkhan: ‘Why are you calling others over a conflict with a child?’
the statement of Gaipbayev

According to the statement, Nurganat tried to calm Darkhan down. He seemed to apologize, but “continued to provoke.”

Later, Nurbol appeared and started calling his friends, including a person nicknamed "Chika."

When a crowd had gathered near the store, Chika got out of a car, a Hyundai, and, addressing the others, gave the order:

“Do it!”

He then walked away.

As it turned out, Gaipbayev and Chika had spoken with each other:

I told him (his - Ed.) face looked familiar. He said, 'I'm an old man after all.' I laughed, 'You're probably not even 30.' He laughed too, opened the door of the shop, looked inside and said, 'do it,' Gaipbayev's statement.

Similar testimony was given by Samat Abdikdir, a cousin of one of the accused.

He confirmed that he had arrived at the scene of the incident.

But he claimed that he had a poor view of what was happening; he was without glasses and did not recognize those fighting.

We arrived in a Hyundai Elantra. There were seven or eight guys standing near the store. Gaipbayev greeted me and asked, 'Have you come for a fight?' I replied, 'But I'm an old man.' He laughed and said, 'We seem to be the same age, I was born in 1994.' I replied, 'I was born in 1997, said Abdikdir.

According to him, when they entered the store, Nurymov Karzhaubay kicked them out because they had not made a purchase. After a while, noise was heard outside, and they quickly left the place.

Gaipbayev's statement also revealed what unfolded after Chika's order:

At that moment, a girl took knives out of the car and began handing them to the young men. Several people attacked me. At that time, Sherzat was lying on the ground and said, ‘Aga (Kazakh word used to refer to an older male - Ed.), something's stuck in me.’ I came over and saw that he had been stabbed. I didn’t have time to help when another eight people ran up to us and began hitting us, despite the injuries. Abzal Shynasyl and Nurkiyas Ilyasov stabbed me in the thigh and hit me on the head with something metal.

In the statement, he also confirmed that he heard a shot, but did not see who fired. Later, he saw a gun in the hands of another defendant named Ilyas Nurkiyas. Gaipbayev categorically denied having a gun.

During the investigation, only Sherzat’s mother and the late Gaipbayev mentioned "Chika."

His identity has yet to be made known.

In The Air

Another witness, Talgat Ashirbay, claimed that Nurganat Gaipbayev fired a gun.

On the day of the tragedy, he drove one of the defendants to the store, where the conflict occurred.

Ashirbay heard gunshots after getting out of the car. Frightened, he fled the scene, but returned about 10 minutes later and saw a teenager in blood, with his mother sitting next to him in tears. The witness claims that he personally saw Gaipbayev take a gun out of a Nexia Ravon and confirmed this during a face-to-face questioning.

"But he didn't shoot at people, he shot into the air," Ashirbay clarified.

According to investigators, no one was injured as a result of the shooting.

Some Questions Answered

Outside the courthouse, an Orda journalist asked the lawyer representing Sherzat’s family about "Chika." It turned out that he even testified in court.

I can’t say specifically. It’s an investigative matter. But it’s already clear who Chika is. He is not listed as a suspect, but as a witness,
clarified lawyer Meirman Shekeyev.

In Talgar, there have long been rumors about the notorious “Khutor” gang. Its existence has been denied.

When I went to the scene, I asked people about it. They said there was such a gang. But in the framework of the criminal case, no legal assessment was made.

The lawyer reminded that one of the defendants introduced himself as from “Khutor” on the night of the killing.

Karzhaubay was afraid that the situation could escalate. And Nurganat, Sherzat’s uncle, had known them for a long time. Karzhaubay called him to try to resolve the conflict peacefully,
added Shekeyev.

The video recording of the question of Nurganat Gaipbayev also revealed a remark suggesting that Sherzat brought a weapon:

The weapon? I don’t know where it came from, Sherzat brought it. I didn’t understand. I arrived by car, it took me about half an hour on the road. Nurbolat (probably referring to the suspect Nurbol Toktybaev - Ed.) and another guy arrived in a Volkswagen Golf. I spoke with them and let Sherzat go. After he left, they said: 'Call your little brother, let him apologize, and it will all end,'
Nurganat said in the video recording.

Afterward, the lawyer for the family, Meirman Shekeyev, commented on Nurganat’s interrogation:

He was in a serious condition. He had been stabbed with a knife. He was taking medications, including psychotropic. In our opinion, interrogating him in such a state was unlawful.

The trial is ongoing. There are nine people in the dock.

Original Authors: Sandugash Duysenova and Perizat Zharylkasyn

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