Naperville man pleads not guilty to stabbing death of ex-wife

A Naperville man charged with fatally stabbing his ex-wife pleaded not guilty to murder charges on Thursday.

Zokir S. Kudratov, 55, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the July 6 stabbing death of his ex-wife, Rahima Kudratova. Kudratov will appear before a Will County judge again on Aug. 22. Though the couple is divorced, they shared a home in the 2500 block of Saddlebrook Drive in the White Eagle subdivision.

Will County prosecutors have said that Kudratov stabbed his ex-wife after hearing her use a derogatory term to describe his current wife, who lives in Uzbekistan.

Kudratov Thursday quietly listened to his Russian interpreter during Thursday’s arraignment before Will County Judge Amy Bertani-Tomczak.

In their motion to detain Kudratov, Will County prosecutors said he stabbed his 48-year-old former wife more than 30 times and then stomped on her head in front of his teenage daughter. Naperville police were called to the home after the couple’s daughter discovered her father stabbing her mother, according to court documents.

At his initial court hearing earlier this month, Will County Assistant Public Defender Raymond Durrenberger said Kudratov takes medication for various health conditions including anxiety. Court documents also indicate Kudratov was intoxicated on the day of the stabbing.