Two men have gone on trial in Almaty for the murder of Kazakh Olympic figure skater Denis Ten.
The two suspects, Arman Qudaibergenov and Nuraly Qiyasov, pleaded not guilty to murder charges on the first day of the trial on January 3.
Ten was a bronze medalist at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and a silver and bronze medalist at the World Figure Skating Championships in 2013 and 2015.
Investigators say he was fatally stabbed in central Almaty in July 2018 after he confronted Qudaibergenov and Qiyasov, who were stealing the side mirrors from his car.
Qudaibergenov pleaded guilty to theft but he -- and Qiyasov -- rejected charges of murder and robbery.
A third defendant, Zhanar Tolybaeva, pleaded not guilty to theft and failure to report a crime.
The 25-year-old Ten, who trained in Moscow and in the United States, was the first Kazakh skater ever to win an Olympic medal.
