Life Sentences Upheld for Killers of Yana Legkodimova in Atyrau

The Atyrau Regional Court has upheld the life sentences for two men convicted of the brutal murder of 23-year-old Yana Legkodimova. The appellate panel rejected defense motions to reduce the punishment, leaving the original verdict unchanged.

On February 24, the appellate panel confirmed the sentences for 24-year-old Rizuan Khairzhanov and 25-year-old Altynbek Katimov. Both men will serve their terms in a maximum-security institution.

During the appeal hearing, Khairzhanov's father pleaded for leniency, arguing his son had confessed and expressed deep remorse. He contested the court's finding that his son had not repented and disputed that the crime was premeditated. He claimed a sudden conflict in a car led to the act and that a life sentence was excessively harsh compared to other serious crimes in Kazakhstan.

The prosecutor and representatives for the victim's side insisted on keeping the sentences intact, stating the initial court's decision was well-founded.

Yana's mother, Galina Legkodimova, spoke powerfully against any mitigation of punishment. She refuted claims of a spontaneous conflict, reminding the court that evidence showed Khairzhanov had proposed murder to Katimov ten days before the crime, with both men discussing over twenty methods in detail via messenger apps.

"This correspondence is enough," she stated. "They were planning an 'ideal murder.' It would not have stopped with my child. Such people do not stop." She expressed her grief over burying only "a bag of bones" nine months later and voiced society's desire that they never return to freedom.

In November 2025, an Atyrau court found Khairzhanov and Katimov guilty under two articles: murder by a group with prior conspiracy (Article 99) and intentional destruction of another's property by a group with prior conspiracy (Article 202). They were sentenced to life imprisonment and ordered to pay material damages of nearly 2 million tenge and moral compensation of 15 million tenge each to Legkodimova's mother.

Despite pleading guilty, Rizuan Khairzhanov asked during his final statement for leniency because he was "still young and wanted to enjoy life." His father had previously requested acquittal, calling their incriminating online chats "a joking dialogue between two young men." Katimov's father argued his son was merely an accomplice who did not commit the killing directly.

According to investigators, on October 18, 2024, Yana left home after a call from acquaintance Rizuan Khairzhanov. She was last seen in his car before disappearing. Her body was found eight months later on June 20, 2025, on the banks of the Ural River.

The investigation alleges Khairzhanov strangled Yana in a car while Katimov held the door shut. They then transported her body outside the city and dumped it into the river near Taldykol village. The motive reportedly stemmed from Yana discovering Khairzhanov planned to marry another woman; she threatened to inform his fiancée.

Prosecutors presented extensive chat logs between defendants showing they discussed methods for committing murder without leaving evidence beforehand. Messages included chilling phrases like "Everything must go perfectly," "While she sleeps – still warm and alive," "We've done scarier things," and discussions about potentially bribing officials.