Kim Sungjin (33), who killed a passerby with a weapon at a mart in Mia-dong, Gangbuk-gu, Seoul, has been sentenced to life imprisonment in the first trial.
On the morning of the 19th, the 13th Criminal Division of the Seoul Northern District Court (Chief Judge Na Sanghun) sentenced Kim, who was charged with murder and attempted murder, to life imprisonment in the first trial. The court also ordered him to wear an electronic location tracking device for 30 years and imposed compliance requirements.
Kim was put on trial for killing a woman in her 60s with a weapon displayed at a mart in Mia-dong on April 22, and injuring an employee. Kim, who was hospitalized with a finger fracture, testified that he decided to kill someone and go to prison due to noise in the hospital and conflicts with his family, and then committed the crime.
Previously, prosecutors had sought the death penalty for Kim. However, the court determined that it would be difficult to justify the death penalty from the perspective of fairness, considering that Kim committed the crime impulsively while suffering from auditory hallucinations at the time, and that he stopped the act of murder against another victim.
The court stated, "There are parts of the prosecutor's and the victim's family's opinions that are understandable, considering the suffering of the victim's family, who believe the defendant should be sentenced to death," but added, "The court has a duty to carefully examine all sentencing factors and determine an appropriate sentence."
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