Prosecutor: "Father Beaten to Death" vs. Former Boxer Son: "Accidental Death from Fall" [Seocho-dong Legal Story]

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[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] A father died. His body was covered with bruises. His son, Mr. A (21), a former youth national boxing representative, was identified as the prime suspect and brought to trial. He firmly denies the charges, claiming, "My father accidentally died after falling alone."

Recently, the appellate trial verdict hearing for Mr. A was held at a courtroom of the Seoul High Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, presided over by the 13th Criminal Division (Chief Judge Choi Suhwan).

The prosecutor said, "The defendant indiscriminately beat his father to death, and the method of the crime was brutal. He denies the crime, which reflects poorly on his character."

The prosecutor stated that Mr. A, dissatisfied with living alone with his father, had been abusing him regularly and on the day of the incident, he beat him intensively, resulting in death. It is reported that from 9:28 p.m. on January 3 last year, when Mr. A came home drunk to the house in Michuhol-gu, Incheon, he struck Mr. B dozens of times with his fists and feet within a short period. When the 119 paramedics arrived at 10:38 a.m. the next day following Mr. A's report, Mr. B was already deceased. The police found bruises all over his body and requested an autopsy, which revealed broken ribs and chest bones and multiple organ ruptures.

Mr. A had been living alone with his father since September 2020, at the request of his mother who left the house after divorce. Mr. B suffered from alcohol dependence syndrome and hemiplegia due to brain lesions. It was found that Mr. A had inserted a metal chopstick into the door handle to prevent Mr. B from going outside when he went out.

The first trial, conducted as a citizen participation trial, sentenced him to 10 years in prison. The first trial court ruled, "Considering the opinions of three forensic experts on the autopsy and its results, the injuries in this case were caused by assault and violent acts by another person," and stated, "The only person who entered the residence at the time was the defendant." However, the court took into account that he lived together to care for his father, who could not receive help from other family members.

Mr. A appealed. In the appellate trial, his defense attorney argued, "It is possible that the significant injuries to the chest and abdomen were not caused by the defendant's actions," pleading not guilty. A 'square-shaped' injury was found on Mr. B's chest, which is believed to have been caused by hitting a cornered shelf or display case in the room during his fall. Also, based on a forensic doctor's opinion that "the yellow bruise occurred at least 18 hours earlier," the defense argued, "There is no basis to conclude that some injuries occurred just hours before death." They also mentioned that Mr. A bought cigarettes and snacks for Mr. B and helped with rehabilitation exercises on the day of the incident.

Wearing a green prison uniform, Mr. A made his final statement as follows.

"Honorable Judge, my father was a blunt but caring man commonly seen in our country. Although he later became disabled, I loved him. (Omitted) I still have not been able to say goodbye to my father. Please allow me to send him off peacefully and to be with my beloved family."

The court scheduled the appellate verdict for the 26th.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.