The Aktobe Billionaire Nightclub Double Murder
Four men visiting Aktobe became involved in a confrontation at the Billionaire nightclub. Two were later found dead near the Ilek River. A 16-defendant prosecution ended with two men convicted of the murders and the remaining defendants convicted of other conduct arising from the episode.
On October 25, 2022, four men from Kazakhstan's Temir District were in Aktobe for an arm-wrestling competition and later visited the Billionaire nightclub. A confrontation with security personnel escalated into violence. Court reporting identified the four victims by the surnames Kushkimbayev, Tuleuov, Zhakipov and Temirov. Kushkimbayev and Tuleuov sustained fatal injuries; the other two survived.
The confrontation and the deaths
The Aktobe Regional Court's account, reported by Orda and other Kazakh outlets, said the four visitors were beaten during the confrontation. The court found that defendants identified as Tuktibay and Khasenov inflicted serious injuries on Kushkimbayev and Tuleuov, including the use of a knife and a bat.
The injured men were then transported away from the nightclub. Kushkimbayev and Tuleuov were taken to a vacant area on the outskirts of Aktobe, where they later died. Their bodies were discovered among trees near the Ilek River area. Contemporary reporting also described two surviving visitors who escaped after being placed in a vehicle during the episode.
Investigation
Police opened a murder investigation after the two bodies were found. Prosecutors later said 16 people had been identified and detained. The case grew into a 104-volume prosecution involving allegations that included murder, attempted murder, hooliganism, concealment of a serious crime and failure to report a serious crime.
The indictment stage is important but is not treated here as a verdict. Early prosecution descriptions referred broadly to group conduct. The later judgment narrowed criminal responsibility and did not convict all 16 defendants of the two murders.
The November 2023 judgment
On November 21, 2023, the Specialized Interdistrict Criminal Court of Aktobe Region announced verdicts against 16 defendants. Khasenov and Tuktibay were convicted of the murders and received prison terms of 15 years and 17 years, respectively.
The remaining defendants were convicted of different offenses, including hooliganism, failure to report a particularly serious crime and concealment. The nightclub tenant received a four-year prison sentence for failure to report or concealment-related conduct. A juvenile defendant received a non-custodial or restricted-liberty sentence for hooliganism rather than a murder conviction.
This distinction is central to the file: the fact that 16 people were prosecuted in one proceeding does not mean 16 people were convicted of homicide.
The official Aktobe prosecutor notice stated on the day of judgment that the verdict had not yet entered into legal force. During this review, no reliable later source was located documenting a reversal of the two murder convictions. Crime by Region therefore records the clearly documented trial adjudication and does not invent an appellate result that was not found.
Why the episode is one case file
The deaths of Kushkimbayev and Tuleuov, the violence against the two survivors and the conduct of the nightclub personnel were prosecuted as one connected criminal episode. They are kept in a single case file rather than split into separate pages for each victim or charge.
Timeline
- Conflict at the Billionaire nightclub
Four visitors from Temir District become involved in a confrontation with nightclub security personnel in Aktobe.
- Two bodies are found
Police receive a report that two men have been found dead near the Ilek River area and open a homicide investigation.
- Case sent to court
Aktobe prosecutors complete the indictment and send the 16-defendant criminal case for trial.
- Trial begins
Proceedings open in Aktobe in a case reported to span more than one hundred volumes.
- Verdicts announced
Khasenov and Tuktibay receive 15- and 17-year sentences for murder; other defendants receive sentences for separately adjudicated offenses.
Current status
The case is classified Solved / Adjudicated on the basis of the November 2023 trial judgment establishing criminal responsibility for the two deaths. The classification does not imply that every defendant was a murderer, and it does not claim a later appellate disposition that was not identified in the reviewed record.
Sources and further reading
- Aktobe Regional Prosecutor's Office — November 21, 2023 judgment summary
- Orda — November 21, 2023 court report and victim chronology
- Informburo — November 21, 2023 report citing the Aktobe Regional Court
- Tengrinews Kazakhstan — July 19, 2023 report on the investigation and indictment
Last reviewed: September 4, 2026