Romitan resident sentenced after brutal axe killing and burial cover-up

A man who murdered his acquaintance over an unpaid loan in the Romitan district of the Bukhara region has been sentenced to 16 years in prison. The information was confirmed by Aziz Obidov, press secretary of the Supreme Court.

According to the report, the conflict dates back to 2018, when the defendant purchased grapes worth $10,000 from the victim's vineyard. However, he failed to repay the agreed amount on time. The victim repeatedly requested that the debt be repaid.

On the evening of October 22, 2024, while the defendant was herding sheep on a farm, the victim approached him once again to demand payment. A verbal dispute quickly escalated into a physical altercation, culminating in a brutal murder. The defendant struck the victim multiple times on the head, forehead, and back of the head with an axe, severely torturing and ultimately killing him.

In an attempt to cover up the crime, the murderer disposed of the victim’s mobile phone in a garbage container and threw his shoes into a patch of reeds. He then returned to his family and attended a wedding as though nothing had occurred. Later that night, he returned to the crime scene with a shovel he brought from home, dug a hole, and buried the body.

The remains of the victim were discovered 22 days later, on November 13, by law enforcement officers.

During the trial held at the Romitan District Court for Criminal Cases, the defendant partially admitted to the charges. He was found guilty under Article 97, Part 2, Subparagraphs "j" and "i" of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan (intentional murder under aggravating circumstances) and was sentenced to 16 years in a general regime penal colony.

This case is part of a disturbing trend of violent crimes in Uzbekistan. In a separate incident, a young man who killed his uncle’s wife and her two children in the Pop district of the Namangan region was previously sentenced to life imprisonment.