Verdict Delivered in Yerkebayeva–Kuznetsov Trial

The trial began in August 2024 and was heard by two jury panels. Elvira Yerkebayeva and Maxim Kuznetsov faced charges of attempted homicide, Orda.kz reports.

On August 25, in the specialized inter-district criminal court of the West Kazakhstan region, the defendants gave their closing statements. Elvira Yerkebaeva asked the jury for a fair decision and said that if shown leniency, she would be with her children.

Maxim Kuznetsov, in tears, asked his parents for forgiveness, admitting he had not lived up to their expectations.

After the jury retired to deliberate, Judge Dinara Gilmanova delivered the verdict.

Elvira Yerkebayeva and Maksim Kuznetsov were found guilty under the article “Illegal acquisition, transfer, sale and storage of weapons” and sentenced to three years of a suspended sentence. 

They were released in the courtroom.

The verdict has not yet entered into legal force.

Speaking to journalists, Elvira Yerkebayeva said she would now go to her mother and thanked everyone who had supported her. She added that justice exists and has prevailed. Maxim Kuznetsov also expressed gratitude to those who believed in him.

The case against Yerkebaeva and Kuznetsov had lasted since August 2024. Investigators alleged that Yerkebaeva offered two million tenge to have her ex-husband, Yerbol Yerkebaev, killed.

Kuznetsov, age 33, was said to have assisted by attempting to obtain a gun and commit the homicide. The attempt was never carried out. During proceedings, it was revealed that Yerbol had subjected his wife to two decades of severe psychological abuse, stalking, and mistreatment.

In court, however, he stated he did not see himself as a victim and had no claims against her.

Yerbol, who is disabled and has no legs, was at the center of a case heard by a second jury after the first was dismissed at the request of prosecutor Dospol Zhubanov. During closing arguments, prosecutor Dina Iztleuova said the defendants’ guilt was fully proven and requested a sentence of seven years and six months for Yerkebayeva and ten years for Kuznetsov.

Original Author: Alina Pshenichnaya