60s Man Who Killed Younger Brother with a Weapon over 'Inheritance Conflict' Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison on Appeal

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] The eldest brother who killed his younger brother with a weapon after a conflict over inheritance was sentenced to a heavy punishment again in the appellate court.

According to the legal community on the 3rd, the Gwangju High Court 1st Criminal Division (Presiding Judge Lee Seung-cheol) dismissed both the defendant A (64) and the prosecution's appeals claiming the sentence was unfair in the appeal trial for charges including murder.

The original trial court sentenced A to 18 years in prison.

A was tried on charges of stabbing and killing his younger brother B near a bus stop in Sora-myeon, Yeosu-si, Jeollanam-do, around 4 p.m. on May 21 last year.

A planned the crime out of dissatisfaction because B kept interfering with the land A had inherited from their parents.

The land in question was being used as a parking lot by an acquaintance of B with A's permission.

Then, A asked to vacate the land saying he wanted to plant sweet potatoes, and B, on behalf of the acquaintance, questioned A with remarks like "Did you manage that land?" and "Are you really going to plant sweet potatoes?" which escalated their emotions.

B was eventually stabbed in the abdomen and taken to a nearby hospital but died due to shock from blood loss.

There had been a 'brothers' conflict' even before this incident.

B harbored ill feelings toward A, who inherited a large amount of property as the eldest son.

In front of their children, B verbally abused and assaulted A demanding "Give me the ancestral burial ground," and spread rumors around calling A a "mentally ill person" and saying he "wasted all the parents' property."

A admitted all charges and showed remorse but appealed on the grounds that the original sentence was too heavy and unfair.

The court ruled, "While arguing on the phone with his biological younger brother, the defendant killed him with a weapon out of anger, causing the bereaved family to live with great pain that is difficult to heal for a lifetime," and "Considering that forgiveness was not granted and the family is pleading for severe punishment, the defendant's appeal has no grounds."