Court "Acknowledges diminished mental capacity but rules guilty on charges"
A man in his 20s who killed his grandmother, with whom he lived, after she compared him to a drama protagonist, was sentenced to a heavy prison term.
On the 28th, the 2nd Criminal Division of the Chuncheon District Court Gangneung Branch (Chief Judge Kwon Sang-pyo) sentenced A, a man in his 20s indicted for killing a direct ascendant, to 18 years in prison and ordered him to wear an electronic monitoring device (electronic ankle bracelet) for 15 years, according to a report by Yonhap News Agency on the same day.
A was tried on charges of killing his 70-year-old grandmother with a weapon at a house in Gangdong-myeon, Gangneung, where they lived together, on July 22. Immediately after the crime, A fled the scene but was caught by police who responded to a report of "a person carrying a weapon wandering the streets" in downtown Gangneung.
During the police investigation right after his arrest, A reportedly stated that "an alien controlled him to stab and kill his grandmother." Later, while admitting to the crime, he showed signs of delusion, claiming things such as "it seems my grandmother and father secretly use money I received from a Japanese animation artist" and "my grandmother is trying to sell me to human traffickers."
During the trial, regarding his motive, A testified, "When my grandmother compared me to a drama protagonist, I felt she was indirectly criticizing me as a villain in the drama, which made me angry and led me to kill her."
The court considered that A was likely affected by mental illness or delusions at the time of the crime. However, since A gave detailed statements about the motive and circumstances, the court judged that he was fully aware of his grandmother’s presence when he committed the murder.
The court stated, "Murder fundamentally violates the precious value of life and cannot be justified for any reason. Especially, killing a direct ascendant is an inhumane and antisocial crime that is utterly unacceptable in our society and is highly condemnable."
It added, "Even after killing his grandmother, A wandered the streets carrying a knife, posing a risk of further casualties. While recognizing diminished mental capacity, all charges against A are acknowledged as guilty."
The sentence A received also included punishment for a minor fraud crime he committed prior to this incident.
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