Two Incheon Taxi Robbery-Murderers Caught After 16 Years... Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison

The perpetrators who killed a taxi driver, stole cash, and fled were sentenced to 30 years in prison after being caught 16 years later.

The Criminal Division 15 of Incheon District Court (Chief Judge Ryu Hojung) handed down heavy sentences to A (47) and accomplice B (48), who were indicted on charges of robbery and murder, at the sentencing hearing held on the 20th.

A and others were arrested and indicted on charges of stabbing and killing taxi driver C (43 at the time of death) with a weapon near a road in Namchon-dong, Namdong-gu, Incheon, around 3 a.m. on July 1, 2007, and stealing 60,000 won in cash. After leaving the body at the crime scene, they drove C’s stolen taxi and abandoned it in a residential area 2.8 km away, set fire to the back seat, and fled.

At the time of the incident, the police formed a dedicated investigation team and conducted extensive investigations, checking 5,900 registered suspect vehicles in the metropolitan area, 26,000 base station communication records, and questioning about 870 households, but failed to find clues to identify the suspects.

Later, in 2016, the cold case investigation team of Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency, which took over the case, reanalyzed investigation records and site materials, and conducted supplementary investigations including fingerprint reexamination, related person interviews, and profiling. The police repeatedly examined the vehicle manual booklet used as a fire starter when setting fire to the taxi and eventually found latent fingerprints, and based on this, they arrested the suspects one after another this year, 16 years later.

Taxi Robbery Murderer Caught in Incheon After 16 Years
[Image Source=Yonhap News]

The court stated, "A denied the charges, claiming he was not at the crime scene on the day of the incident, but considering the investigation process and DNA test results, it is indisputable that he was present at the scene that day," and added, "Furthermore, DNA tests conducted after A’s arrest showed a match with bloodstains found inside the victim’s taxi."

Regarding B, who planned the robbery with A but claimed not to have participated in the murder, the court explained, "The doctor who examined the victim’s autopsy report stated that 'this crime would have been difficult to commit alone and would have required role division such as subduing the victim and stabbing with a weapon,' and B’s claim lacks credibility and cannot be accepted."

The court explained the sentencing rationale, saying, "The damage has not been restored at all even after the crime was uncovered," and "Even if the defendants committed the crime impulsively and had no prior record of violent crimes before this case, they must be punished commensurately with their responsibility."