Submission of Appeal on the 7th Despite Judicial Rebuke
[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] A man in his 40s, who was charged with murdering a female neighbor living in the same apartment to raise moving expenses, has appealed the first trial verdict.
According to the court on the 7th, Park, a man in his 40s, submitted a notice of appeal to the Seoul Southern District Court Criminal Division 14 (Chief Judge Kim Dong-hyun) on the same day.
Earlier, on the 5th, the court sentenced Park, who was indicted on charges of trespassing and robbery-murder, to 27 years in prison. The order to attach an electronic location tracking device was dismissed.
The court stated, "Murder is a crime that takes away the life of a person who can be considered the most precious in this world, and especially robbery-murder is more blameworthy as it involves killing a person for the purpose of obtaining money or valuables," adding, "Since the defendant killed the victim whom he usually called 'imo' (aunt), this crime must be severely punished."
It continued, "Although the defendant did not initially plan robbery or murder, the situation unexpectedly escalated leading to the crime, and considering that his mother had passed away at the time and he was in an unstable mental state when he planned the initial theft, the court decided not to impose the death penalty or life imprisonment but to reduce the sentence to a fixed-term imprisonment," explaining the sentencing rationale.
Additionally, the court criticized, "The defendant is physically healthy but has lived a self-destructive life relying on his mother, which is incomprehensible," and said, "We hope he spends his time in prison thoroughly atoning for his crimes."
Park was arrested and indicted on charges of murdering his neighbor A, whom he had known through his mother, to raise moving expenses after his mother’s death and facing eviction from an apartment in Deungchon-dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, while living on basic living benefits.
Park learned the password to A’s house and was secretly searching through items there when the victim entered; he then killed the victim and stole 1,928,000 won in valuables before fleeing.
The police responded to a report from a visiting social worker that "A could not be contacted" and found A deceased inside the apartment. It was reported that A’s hands and feet were bound at the time of discovery.
Based on CCTV footage, testimonies from neighbors, and fingerprints at the scene, the police identified Park as the suspect and arrested him at a motel in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, later that month.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
