Fourteen Accused, Including Minors, Charged With Brutal Murder Of 19-Year-Old In Gurun

GURUN, Oct 15  – Fourteen individuals, including two teenagers, were charged at the Magistrate’s Court today in connection with the murder of a 19-year-old youth in Gurun last week.

The adult accused named in court were Muhammad Asyraaf Muhammad Zaidi, 20; Muhammad Azrul Rahimi Muhamad Yusri, 18; Ahmad Izzul Irfan Ridduan, 21; Muhammad Rhahimy Abdul Rashid, 19; Yusman Hakimi Yusmezal, 24; Muhammad Zulfaqar Zulkarnain Khairol Fais, 21; and Muhammad Aiman Riduwan Abdullah, 21.

Also charged were Ahmad Aiman Danial Ahmad Wizam, 21; Muhammad Adam Haris Rosdan, 21; Muhammad Muqkriz Azizan, 21; Muhammad Adam Iqbal Mohd Wazir, 19; Syafiq Afif Syarafuddin Abd Ghapar, 23; alongside two underage suspects aged 16 and 17.

No pleas were recorded after the joint charge was read before Magistrate Anis Suraya Ahmad, as capital murder offences fall under the exclusive jurisdiction of the High Court.

According to the charge sheet, all 14 accused are charged with jointly murdering Muhammad Haikal Mohd Shahrilnizam, 19, at an unnumbered residence along Jalan Sungai Petani between 9:00 PM on October 5 and 7:30 AM on October 8.

The charge was framed under Section 302 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34 of the same Act, which provides for the death penalty or a prison sentence ranging from 30 to 40 years, along with a minimum of 12 strokes of the cane upon conviction.

Legal Representation, Court Proceedings, and Incident Background

Prosecution procedures and case background details include:

• Prosecution & Defense Counsel: Deputy Public Prosecutor Nik Nurhazirah Tuan Yahya appeared for the prosecution. Attorney Mohamad Ashraf Ahmad Sohaimi represented three of the accused—Muhammad Azrul Rahimi, Ahmad Izzul Irfan, and Muhammad Zulfaqar Zulkarnain—while the remaining 11 accused were unrepresented.
• Next Mention Date: The court set December 23, 2026, for case mention pending the completion and submission of chemical and forensic reports.
• Captivity and Discovery: Media reports previously indicated that Muhammad Haikal was allegedly held captive and subjected to torture over two days before his body was abandoned in bushes near Jalan Harvard Golf Club on October 8.

The case will be transferred to the High Court following preliminary mention proceedings in December.

–NMT