30s Man Who Killed Mother in Delusion Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison

Court: "Unacceptable antisocial and anti-humanitarian crime"

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Kyung-jun] A man in his 30s who killed his mother by repeatedly wielding a weapon has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.

The Supreme Court's 1st Division (Presiding Justice Kim Seon-su) announced on the 3rd that it upheld the original sentence of 15 years in prison in the final appeal trial of Mr. A (31), who was charged with killing a direct ascendant. The order for medical treatment and custody was also maintained.

After entering university in 2010, Mr. A became absorbed in smoking and gaming while contemplating his career path, and graduated in 2020, ten years later. Living with his mother in an apartment in a provincial area, he spent his time in his room playing computer and mobile phone games and smoking, frequently receiving complaints from neighbors for smoking inside the house. Because of the smoking issue, his mother scolded him, and in December 2020, under the delusion that "his mother was like a demon," he killed his mother with a weapon that was in the house.

After the crime, he drove his mother’s car to Seoul and jumped off a bridge over Cheonggyecheon Stream, after which he was rescued by 119 emergency services.

The first trial recognized Mr. A’s guilt and sentenced him to 12 years in prison. The court stated, "He committed an intolerable antisocial and inhumane crime against the victim who gave birth to and raised him," but also considered that he was suffering from schizophrenia and was in a state of diminished mental capacity.

The second trial noted, "Although there was a past history of mental illness, he appeared to have been able to specifically describe the circumstances of the crime during police investigation, so it does not seem he was in a state of complete mental incapacity," and increased the sentence to 15 years in prison and ordered medical treatment and custody.

The Supreme Court also agreed with the second trial’s judgment.