The main hearing of the trial in the high-profile case of Sultan Sarsemaliyev, who is accused of murdering an entire family, is set to begin May 28 in Atyrau. New details from the indictment reveal the alleged sequence of events in the killings of his father-in-law, Maksot Karabalin, and mother-in-law, Nassip Uteshkaliyeva.
Read also: Trial opens for shocking family murder in West Kazakhstan.
The killings took place Nov. 3, 2025, in the village of Zhangeldin, Atyrau region, where the defendant had traveled with his wife and daughter. According to investigators, an argument broke out over the couple’s children after his mother-in-law insisted that the grandchildren remain in the village.
Sultan admitted the charges against him and said he was prepared to serve a life sentence for his actions.
«They interfered in my family life, drove a wedge between my wife and me, and caused our divorce. Even after that, we did not want to separate and continued living together. They repeatedly threatened me and never stopped interfering in my family affairs.
All of this happened because they tried to take my wife away from me, saying, ‘Neither you nor your parents will take the children,’ while using my own children to blackmail me and pushing me toward committing such a crime. They damaged my honor, and until recently I tried to keep my family together,» the defendant said.
Prosecutors say Sarsemaliyev, fearing he would lose custody of the children, decided to kill his relatives.
Before the killings, investigators allege that the defendant accessed his father-in-law’s banking app and copied account details to pay future utility bills for the house.
Realizing he would not be able to attack the two victims inside the home, Sarsemaliyev allegedly waited for them in an outbuilding, where he had noticed a butcher knife.
«At around 7 p.m., Sarsemaliyev sat in the yard waiting for Karabalin or Uteshkaliyeva to enter the outdoor kitchen. Uteshkaliyeva was the first to leave the house. Sarsemaliyev followed her into the building, approached her from behind and stabbed her in the back,» prosecutor Miras Baurzhanov said.
Uteshkalieva died at the scene.
Prosecutors detail alleged cover-up
According to investigators, the defendant then remained near the entrance, waiting for his father-in-law. When Karabalin entered the outbuilding, prosecutors say his son-in-law stabbed him multiple times in the chest and back. He also died at the scene.
Investigators allege that Sarsemaliyev then locked the place and returned after dark to dispose of the bodies.
«At around midnight, he dug into the dirt floor beneath the sofa to a depth of 1.3 meters, buried both bodies and covered the area with linoleum. This completely concealed evidence of the crime. He then wiped and cleaned bloodstains inside the shed,» the case file states.
Afterward, prosecutors say, the defendant took the victims’ gold jewelry, mobile phones, bank cards and 60,000 tenge ($130) in cash.
The court proceedings are ongoing.
