Court: "A Grotesque Crime With No Precedent"
Four Accomplices, Including Children and Followers, Sentenced to 20?25 Years in Prison
Two Others, Including Victim's Brother, Receive 10-Year Sentences for Aiding and Abetting Murder
A 70-year-old shaman was sentenced to life imprisonment after torturing and murdering her niece, who was her main source of income, when the niece tried to leave her. The shaman claimed she needed to "exorcise an evil spirit" as justification for her actions.
On September 25, the Incheon District Court's Criminal Division 16, presided over by Chief Judge Yoon Ijin, sentenced shaman A (a 79-year-old woman) to life imprisonment on charges of murder. Four accomplices, including A's children, were each sentenced to 20 to 25 years in prison for the same charge, while two others, including the victim's biological brother, were each sentenced to 10 years in prison for aiding and abetting murder.
A and her accomplices were indicted on charges of murdering B, a woman in her 30s, at a restaurant in Bupyeong-gu, Incheon, on September 18 last year. When B, her niece, tried to quit working at the restaurant and leave, A tied her to a metal structure and exposed her to the heat of charcoal for three hours. B lost consciousness while crying out in pain from the heat and was taken to a hospital, but ultimately died from multiple organ failure caused by severe burns.
At the time, A claimed she needed to "exorcise an evil spirit" and called her children and followers to participate in the crime. Investigations revealed that A had used shamanistic rituals and offerings to manipulate and mentally control (gaslight) relatives and followers for an extended period, forcing them to work at the restaurant and profiting from their labor.
The court stated, "The defendants bound the victim and tortured her with charcoal heat for an extended period. The method of the crime was so brutal and grotesque that it is difficult to find precedent."
The court further commented, "The defendants are relatives or family members of A, and their actions can only be seen as crimes against humanity. The victim endured extreme pain, eventually convulsing and losing consciousness. It is impossible to fathom the magnitude of the suffering she experienced until her death."
The court continued, "The victim died after not receiving any aid for more than two hours following the crime. The defendants attempted to cover up the crime by cleaning the scene and making false claims to the emergency responders, such as saying the victim 'fell onto the charcoal' or 'they did not know what happened.'"
The court also explained its reasoning for sentencing, stating, "Although the victim's parents expressed that they did not wish for punishment, the defendants have not shown genuine remorse, nor have they paid any settlement or consolation money, so these cannot be considered grounds for mitigation." Additionally, "The victim's parents had been under A's psychological control for a long time and even expressed gratitude toward the defendants."
Previously, during the sentencing hearing last month, prosecutors also requested a life sentence for A, 15 to 20 years in prison for the four accomplices, and seven years in prison for the two others charged with aiding and abetting murder.
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