Appellate Court Dismisses Defendant's Appeal
"Killed in a Brutal Manner... Children in Pain"
A man in his 70s who killed his wife with a weapon after mistakenly believing she was trying to have him forcibly hospitalized has received a heavy sentence again in his appeal trial.
On May 28, the Criminal Division 1 of the Jeonju Panel of the Gwangju High Court, presided over by Chief Judge Yang Jinsoo, dismissed the appeal of defendant A (age 77), who was indicted on murder charges, and upheld the original sentence of 18 years in prison.
The appellate court stated, "The victim of the crime was the defendant's wife, who had trusted, depended on, and lived together with the defendant for more than 50 years," and added, "The defendant killed the vulnerable victim in an extremely cruel and brutal manner."
The court continued, "The children appear to have cared for the victim with devotion and made efforts to ensure their parents' happiness in old age," and explained, "After the crime, the children have suffered great shock and psychological pain and are petitioning for a severe punishment for the defendant." This was cited as the reason for dismissing the appeal.
Defendant A was indicted on charges of stabbing his wife 17 times with a weapon and striking her twice with a blunt object, killing her at their home in Jochon-dong, Gunsan, at around 4:15 a.m. on September 25 last year.
Immediately after the crime, he called 112 and confessed, saying, "I killed my wife."
An investigation revealed that Defendant A had been married to his wife since 1973, but in recent years had suffered from mental illness, leading to conflicts with his family, such as pursuing unreasonable business ventures. It was found that he committed the crime after mistakenly believing that his wife, who had discussed his treatment methods and timing with their children, was trying to have him forcibly hospitalized.
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