[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Ko Yoo-jeong (37), who was indicted for killing her ex-husband and mutilating the body and was sentenced to life imprisonment in the first trial, was also sentenced to life imprisonment in the appeal trial.
The Jeju 1st Criminal Division of the Gwangju High Court (Chief Judge Wang Jeong-ok) sentenced Ko to life imprisonment at the appeal trial held at Jeju District Court Courtroom 201 at 10 a.m. on the 15th.
The court stated, "The defendant lured the victim, her ex-husband, under the pretext of visitation rights, administered zolpidem to kill him, and then mutilated and concealed the body, committing the crime in a planned manner. Nevertheless, the defendant denies the crime by claiming that the victim attempted to sexually assault her and that the killing was accidental, making a heavy sentence inevitable."
The court added that considering the serious violation of life, the cruel method of the crime, and the suffering of the victim’s family, it imposes the same sentence as the original trial.
Also, as in the first trial, the court did not recognize the charge of killing the stepson due to lack of motive and insufficient direct evidence.
The court explained that regarding the charge of killing the stepson, the evidence submitted by the prosecution alone was insufficient to prove that the defendant committed the crime, and thus judged her not guilty.
Throughout the trial, Ko showed a calm demeanor with her head bowed.
Ko was prosecuted for stabbing and killing her ex-husband Kang Mo with a weapon at a pension in Jocheon-eup, Jeju City, in May last year, mutilating the body, and disposing of it (charges of murder and corpse mutilation and concealment).
She is also charged with killing her stepson, who was sleeping face down on a bed in March of the same year. The prosecution additionally indicted Ko on this charge.
The first trial did not recognize the charge of killing the stepson but sentenced Ko to life imprisonment.
In response, the prosecution appealed and requested the court to sentence Ko to death at the appeal trial’s closing arguments held on the 17th of last month.
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