[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] A couple in their 70s who killed or aided and abetted their daughter in her 40s suffering from schizophrenia were found guilty.
On the 11th, the Criminal Division 1 of the Pohang Branch of Daegu District Court (Chief Judge Kwon Sunhyang) announced that Mr. A, the father who was charged with killing his daughter with schizophrenia, was sentenced to 5 years in prison. His wife, Mrs. B, who assisted in the crime, was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison with a 4-year probation.
The couple, Mr. A and Mrs. B, who had been taking care of their daughter Ms. C in her 40s, strangled Ms. C with a tool Mr. A had prepared in advance at their home on April 20.
The couple was also charged with attempted burial after the crime, as they tried but failed to bury Ms. C’s body in a vacant lot on a mountain that night.
Ms. C, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2013, reportedly had been living with her children at her parents’ home for about five years.
During the police investigation, the couple revealed that as Ms. C’s schizophrenia worsened, they discussed for a year and ultimately decided to kill her so that after their deaths, their son, not their daughter, would raise their granddaughter.
The court stated, "Murder is a serious crime that cannot be remedied by any means, carrying severe responsibility, and the guilt is very heavy as the crime was planned in detail over a long period."
However, the court also noted in mitigation, "Ms. C was a victim suffering from a severe illness for 10 years and cared for her granddaughter, and the elderly defendants committed the crime out of concern for the granddaughter’s future after their deaths."
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