 Officials believed this recording contained evidence that Khashoggi was assassinated on the orders of the Saudi Royal Family.On March 25, 2020 the Istanbul prosecutor's office said that it had prepared an indictment against 20 suspects over the killing of Khashoggi;

For instigating a premeditated murder with the intent of [causing] torment through fiendish instinct;
For carrying out the killing; 
As a response Saudi Arabia refused to extradite the defendants even though after the death of Khashoggi, King Salman of Saudi Arabia dismissed both Saud al-Qahtani and Ahmad Asiri (general) from their posts.The indictment of Istanbul prosecutor was based on;
Istanbul prosecutor will try the accused in absentia as none of the accused is in Turkey and seek life sentences for 18 of them and 2 (Saud al-Qahtani and Ahmad Asiri (general)) with incitement of first degree murder.