Verdict in the Karina Dorokhina case: what punishment awaits the mother and stepfather of the murdered girl?

The main accused were the girl's biological mother and her stepfather. The court found the stepfather guilty of murder and sexual assault, sentencing him to life imprisonment. The mother received a 19-year prison term, as, according to Article 46 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, women cannot be sentenced to life imprisonment.

“The court examined the materials of the criminal case, which included the forensic medical examination report regarding the victim and the material evidence, on the basis of which the court concluded that it was you who committed sexual acts, and moreover, repeatedly, against the minor,” the judge explained.

However, the convicted individual insisted that he did not rape Karina, claiming that they did not find his sperm, that they all lived together, and that the DNA of all family members could be found anywhere, ultimately threatening to take his own life.

It is important to recall that the murder of 14-year-old Karina Dorokhina was a tragedy for all residents of Taldykorgan. The examination revealed that shortly before her death, the girl had been shaved, and she had also been subjected to sexual acts multiple times, reported Orda.kz correspondent.

Both the mother and stepfather of the girl found themselves in the dock. They were charged under several articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan:

• Article 120, part 3-2, point 3 (“Rape committed by a group of persons by prior agreement or an organized group”).
• Article 121, part 3-2, point 3 (“Violent sexual acts committed by a group of persons by prior agreement or an organized group”).
• Article 110, part 2, point 1 (“Torture committed against two or more persons”).
• Article 99, part 2, points 7, 10, 14 (“Murder”): committed to conceal another crime or facilitate its commission; committed with particular cruelty; committed by an organized group (points 7, 10, 14 of part 2 of Article 99 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan).
• Article 28, part 5 (“The organizer, instigator, or accomplice shall be subject to criminal liability under the same article as the perpetrator of the crime, considering the nature and degree of their participation”).

On January 8, 2024, Karina Dorokhina's body was discovered 40 kilometers from Taldykorgan in the Tekeli mountains. The search lasted several days, beginning on December 28 of the previous year, the day the school administration reported the girl missing. Concern was raised by a relative of Karina, who wanted to deliver a gift from her grandmother in Russia.

It was later revealed that the girl had gone missing in November.

During the interrogations, due to contradictory and confusing testimonies, Karina's mother became a suspect and eventually confessed to the murder. According to her initial statements, everything happened on November 6 around 4:30 PM.

She and her daughter were at the PitStop car service in Taldykorgan, which was rented by the girl's stepfather, Aisabakiyev. There, the mother and daughter had an argument. The conflict ended with the mother strangling her daughter with a rope. On the same day, the suspects loaded the child's body into the back seat of a Range Rover and drove to the mountains near Tekeli, where they buried her.

However, on January 3, Aisabakiyev changed his testimony, claiming that it was actually his husband who strangled their daughter. He convinced her to take the blame under the pretext that the woman would face a lighter punishment. On January 5, the stepfather of the missing girl was detained and placed in a temporary detention facility. An examination of the girl's body revealed that shortly before her death, her head had been shaved. Additionally, the teenager had been subjected to sexual intercourse multiple times.