Yana Legkodimova: Ministry Details Investigation Into Homicide Case

The Ministry of Internal Affairs has released new details about the investigation into the high-profile homicide of Yana Legkodimova, Orda.kz reports.

Legkodimova was strangled in her car, and her body was dumped in a river, where it remained undiscovered for eight months. Police explained how they solved the case.

On October 20, 2024, Yana’s mother reported her missing. A search was opened immediately, but signs of abduction soon emerged, prompting a full-scale investigation.

The key clue came from surveillance cameras. The footage showed a white car pulling up to the girl's house. Rizuan Khairzhanov was driving. The camera captured the girl getting inside. A second man stood nearby. He held the door, preventing Yana from getting out,  investigators said.

Police reconstructed the route the car took toward the village of Taldykol. Traffic cameras helped identify the two men. Both were detained two days later.

Khairzhanov, Yana’s boyfriend, attempted to flee to the Kurmangazin district. His friend, Altynbek Katimov, took the car to a wash, destroyed evidence, and threw away Yana’s phone. Despite this, investigators were able to piece together the sequence of events.

Yana and Khairzhanov had known each other since 2022 and studied at the same university. She learned he planned to marry someone else and threatened to tell his fiancée. Investigators believe this was when Khairzhanov decided to kill her.

According to the case file, he strangled Yana inside the car while Katimov held the door shut. They then drove outside the city and dumped her body in the Jaiyq River (Ural) before going to a bar.

Even before the body was found, police had already identified and detained the suspects. It was the first time in Atyrau police history that a homicide was solved without the victim’s remains. The crime scene was established using the suspects’ statements and CCTV footage.

The court authorized access to the men’s correspondence, which included discussions of killing Yana and search queries such as “liability for homicide in Kazakhstan” and “how long are camera recordings stored?”

These materials became part of the evidence.

If you miss even one detail, the case may never be solved. Sometimes it's the little things that lead to the truth, one investigator noted.

Investigators said psychology and tactics were crucial. Khairzhanov initially tried to mislead them, but when the approach changed, he eventually gave up his accomplice.

Both suspects had no prior criminal record. However, the collected evidence and their own confessions allowed investigators to reconstruct the full picture of the crime.

Rizuan Khairzhanov and Altynbek Katimov were sentenced to life imprisonment and will serve their sentences in the Black Berkut maximum-security prison colony. Judge Zarema Khamidullina emphasized the brutality of the crime and presented video showing Yana’s remains.

Her mother called the sentence fair.

Original Author: Ruslan Loginov