50s Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Killing Coworker Due to Delusions

Court: "Irreparable Pain Inflicted on the Bereaved Family"

A delusion about a longtime coworker ultimately led to a tragedy. In Gwangju, a man in his 50s, gripped by paranoid delusions that he was being framed, fatally stabbed a junior colleague with whom he had worked for nearly 20 years. While the court handed down a heavy sentence, it dismissed the request for an electronic location-tracking device.

On the 21st, the 11th Criminal Division of the Gwangju District Court (Presiding Judge Kim Songhyun) sentenced Byun (51), who was indicted on murder charges, to 15 years in prison and ordered five years of probation. The court also imposed additional probation requirements on Byun, including a restraining order from the victim's family, mandatory psychiatric treatment, and completion of education to prevent reoffending.

The court stated, "The defendant, lost in delusion, went to the victim's residence and killed someone who had built up trust with him in the workplace for over 20 years," adding, "This has left the bereaved family and the local community with irreparable pain and fear." However, the court dismissed the prosecution's request for an electronic location-tracking device, saying, "Compliance with probation requirements alone is expected to be effective in preventing recidivism."

Byun was put on trial on charges of fatally stabbing his junior colleague, identified as A, in front of an elevator at an apartment building in Pungam-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju, at around 7:34 a.m. on October 9 last year.

According to the investigation, Byun, under stress from workplace performance pressure, became delusional that A was trying to frame him for embezzlement and planned the crime. It was reported that Byun told police, "I committed the crime because I felt betrayed."