Yigitali Zaydinov has been sentenced to seven years in a strict regime penal colony by the Nevsky District Court for the murder of a man and the subsequent theft of his phone. The verdict was announced on June 18.

The incident occurred last autumn when Zaydinov fatally stabbed a 31-year-old man from Uzbekistan on Oktyabrskaya Embankment. The victim’s body was discovered in a ditch near one of the houses on the embankment on October 6 with multiple stab wounds.

According to the investigation, Zaydinov inflicted 17 stab wounds on the victim, driven by jealousy. He then stole the man’s smartphone, with the investigation asserting that the theft was motivated by greed.

During the trial, Zaydinov partially admitted his guilt and expressed remorse. He stated that he received a photo of his common-law wife with another man, prompting him to confront the victim, who he believed had taken the picture.

Zaydinov claimed that he met the victim on the night of October 6 with the intention of forcing him to delete the photo. He alleged that the victim refused to delete all the photos, leading to an altercation during which Zaydinov stabbed the man and took his phone.

Zaydinov stated that he initially intended to dispose of the phone to protect his wife and other women but later decided to return and help the victim. However, he found the man dead. He then discarded the knife and phone into the Fontanka River.

The court considered several mitigating factors, including the fact that Zaydinov had no prior convictions, was positively characterized, was raising two children of his woman, and was married to her. Despite these factors, the court deemed imprisonment necessary.