Son Sentenced to 10 Years Again on Appeal for Beating Dementia-Stricken Father to Death Over Urinary Accidents

Court Considers "Over 15 Years of Support" as a Mitigating Factor

A man in his 50s who beat his father in his 70s?who was unable to control his urination due to dementia?causing his death, was sentenced to 10 years in prison again on appeal.

According to Yonhap News on July 5, the Daejeon High Court Criminal Division 1 (presiding judge Park Jin-hwan) dismissed both the prosecution's and the defendant's appeals in the appellate trial of Mr. A, a man in his 50s who had been sentenced to 10 years in prison at the first trial on charges of parricide, thereby upholding the original verdict.

Mr. A was brought to trial on charges of beating his father, who was suffering from dementia, to death at a villa in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, on January 1. Investigations found that Mr. A, dissatisfied with the worsening symptoms of his father's dementia and his frequent urinary accidents, returned home late at night after drinking alcohol, became enraged by the smell of urine, and committed the crime in a fit of anger.

Exterior view of Daejeon High Court.

The court of first instance stated, "The victim lost his life in a brutal crime, and the bereaved family is likely to suffer considerable psychological pain for a long time." However, the court also noted, "The defendant had supported his father for more than 15 years, and his resentment accumulated while caring for the victim. On the day of the incident, he committed the crime in a drunken state, unable to control his anger. These circumstances can be considered to some extent in sentencing." The court sentenced Mr. A to 10 years in prison.

The appellate court stated, "The sentencing in the first trial appears to have taken into account all the major factors relevant to the defendant's sentence and did not deviate from reasonable judgment," and dismissed both sides' appeals.