Ex-boyfriend jailed for life for murdering transgender influencer and actress by stabbing her more than 50 times

Actress, influencer and model Kesaria Abramidze was killed in a knife attack on Wednesday September 18, the day after the government passed legislation that will impose restrictions on LGBTQ+ rights in her home country.

Abramidze, aged 37, was the first person in Georgia, a country at the intersection of Europe and Asia, to publicly come out as transgender. She represented the country at the Miss Trans Star International contest in 2018 and had more than 500,000 followers on Instagram. The star was murdered in her apartment in suburban Tbilisi.

Police said at the time that they had arrested a suspect, but that person was not named. Now, police have said that Beka Jaiani, age 26, was sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of murdering Abramidze.

More details have now been revealed about the attack. Abramidze was stabbed in the neck more than 50 times. Jaiani had partially admitted guilt but rejected accusations of particular cruelty or that there were gender-based motives for his actions.

He was not in the courtroom for the verdict yesterday (Wednesday April 16), claiming that his psychological and emotional state prevented his being there, but he said he regretted his actions. His lawyer, Giorgi Mdinaradze, denounced the verdict as “based solely on moral considerations rather than moral grounds” and said he would appeal the conviction.

Abramidze and Jaiani were in a relationship for about two years before he killed her in September 2024, according to local media reports. CCTV footage captured on the day of the murder showed Jaiani waiting by a lift in Abramidze's apartment block, and then running down the stairs in the same building less than 10 minutes later. Neighbours heard screams and went to her apartment where they found her body.

The murder of Abramidze came a day after parliament in the Eastern European state passed a law banning LGBTQ+ propaganda and her death caused outrage, although it was not linked to the passage of the legislation. Abramidze herself had previously criticised the government’s approach to domestic violence and women’s rights. In April she said she temporarily had to flee abroad because she feared for her life after being attacked.

A day after the killing, dozens of mourners brought flowers and candles to a makeshift memorial in central Tbilisi to Abramidze. Many tributes were left to Abramidze online from her fans at the time of her death. One said: “You never deserved this, may you rest in peace.” A second person said: “Sorry for this brutal world . . . may your soul be at peace from now on. we will continue to fight for your freedom. We love you.”

One person who appeared to know her personally wrote: “I love you sister, you used to call me like that, you are a hero! Now rest sweet in heaven you deserve it.” Another person said: “Rest in peace queen”.