'Wife Murder' Former Lawyer from Major Law Firm Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison on Appeal... "Strong Intent"

A former attorney from a major law firm in the United States, who was tried on charges of murdering his wife, was sentenced to 25 years in prison in the second trial as well.

Attorney Hyun Mo (center), a former lawyer from a major law firm who killed his wife. Photo by Yonhap News

On the 18th, the Criminal Division 11-1 of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judges Park Jae-woo, Kim Young-hoon, Park Young-joo) dismissed both the prosecution's and the defendant's appeals in the sentencing trial of Mr. Hyun (51), who was indicted on murder charges, and sentenced him to 25 years in prison, the same as the original sentence. Mr. Hyun claimed it was an 'accidental murder,' but this was not accepted.

The court stated, "Even if the initial act of striking the victim was accidental, the subsequent relentless and brutal actions, and leaving the victim unattended for more than 50 minutes, reflect a strong and persistent intent to kill."

Furthermore, "The defendant claims to repent for the crime and appears to show remorse through a letter of apology, but considering the content of the final statement, there is doubt whether he truly repents for the crime," the court pointed out.

Mr. Hyun was arrested and indicted last December for killing his wife, from whom he was separated, at their home in Sajik-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. During the trial, Mr. A's side argued it was an accidental murder and revealed a history of psychiatric treatment, but the prosecution viewed it as an intentional crime.