A Man in His 20s Who Killed His Girlfriend After Breakup Notice
Judge: "Is This an Attitude of Apologizing to the Victim and Bereaved Family?"
The prosecution has demanded a life sentence for a man in his 20s who stabbed and killed his girlfriend with a weapon after she broke up with him just three weeks into their relationship. However, the man argued in court that his IQ was measured in the 60s, indicating intellectual disability, and that he suffered from schizophrenia, claiming that the crime was committed under diminished mental capacity.
According to Yonhap News on the 29th, the Seongnam Branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office requested the court to sentence Mr. A (22) to life imprisonment during the final hearing of his murder case held at the Seongnam Branch of the Suwon District Court, Criminal Division 1 (Presiding Judge Heo Yong-gu). They also requested a 30-year order for electronic location tracking device attachment.
The prosecution stated, "This is a case of brutally taking a human life, and the defendant committed a serious crime that cannot be justified for any reason, so strict punishment must be imposed." They added, "Although the defendant appears to admit most of the crime, he claims diminished mental capacity and denies the premeditated murder, so it does not seem that he truly acknowledges the crime," explaining their reasons for the demand.
During the defendant's questioning before the sentencing, Mr. A emphasized that the crime was committed due to symptoms of mental illness and cognitive disability, mentioning his history of schizophrenia and that he was not taking psychiatric medication at the time of the crime. The presiding judge criticized him, saying that his attitude appeared to be one of making excuses rather than genuine remorse.
When asked why he searched for the Gangseo-gu PC room murder case and weapons on a portal site before the crime, Mr. A replied, "Like ordinary people, I was curious and searched for the case, and I became interested in cooking knives and camping knives after entering a university culinary program, so I searched for knives." When the prosecution asked again, "You searched for a case from six years ago?" he said, "I just Googled it."
The Gangseo-gu PC room murder case refers to the incident in which Kim Seong-su (31) stabbed and killed a part-time worker dozens of times with a weapon at a PC room in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, on October 14, 2018.
When the defense attorney asked why he was not taking psychiatric medication around the time of the incident, Mr. A said, "I wanted to act like a normal person, so I stopped taking the medication for about a week. Then this (incident) happened." Regarding why he went to the victim with a weapon on the day of the incident, he said, "I thought that expressing my intention to self-harm would make my girlfriend change her mind."
Throughout the questioning by the prosecution and defense, he repeatedly cited the results of a psychiatric evaluation by the National Forensic Hospital, emphasizing that his IQ was in the 60s, indicating intellectual disability. The presiding judge then pointed out, "Is this the attitude of someone apologizing to the victim and the bereaved family?" and said it appeared to be an excuse.
The judge stated, "The psychiatric evaluation results indicate that at the time of the crime, the defendant's hallucinations and auditory hallucinations had improved compared to before, and his ability to distinguish objects and make decisions was relatively sound, suggesting a 'sound mind and body' state, but judging by his attitude, it is doubtful whether he is truly remorseful."
He continued, "Are you aware that the psychiatric evaluation also stated, 'The defendant does not appear to have lost the ability to perform daily activities. There is a possibility of malingering'?" He added, "If you are truly remorseful, you should not show such an attitude. Because you show a false appearance, the malingering opinion also arises." In his final statement, Mr. A said, "I am sorry to the victim and the bereaved family. I will live with remorse for the rest of my life."
Mr. A was brought to trial on charges of stabbing and killing the victim (20 years old at the time of death) near the victim's apartment in Hanam-si, Gyeonggi Province, at around 11:20 p.m. on June 7. It was investigated that after the victim notified him of the breakup on the day of the crime, he went near her home, called her out, and then killed her.
The bereaved family also claimed that during the three weeks the victim dated Mr. A, she endured explicit sexual demands, and when she could no longer tolerate them and decided to break up, she met her fate. It was also reported that shortly after meeting the victim, Mr. A sent sexually suggestive text messages such as "I had a sexy dream about you."
The sentencing hearing is scheduled for the 21st of next month.
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