Heavy Sentence for Consecutive Murders of Parents and Brother
Court: "A Lifetime of Atonement Is Appropriate"... Sentenced to Life Imprisonment
A man in his 30s who killed three members of his family after becoming enraged when his older brother hit him while he was assaulting his parents has been sentenced to life imprisonment.
A man in his 30s, identified as Mr A, who is accused of murdering his parents and older brother, is attending a pre-trial detention hearing at the Bucheon branch of the Incheon District Court on July 13. Photo by Yonhap News
On December 24, the Criminal Division 1 of the Bucheon branch of Incheon District Court, presided over by Chief Judge Yeo Hyunju, sentenced Mr. A (36), who was indicted and detained on charges of parricide and murder, to life imprisonment and ordered him to wear an electronic location-tracking device (ankle monitor) for 15 years.
The court stated, "Murder is a grave crime that violates the sanctity of life, and once a life is taken, it cannot be restored by any means." The court continued, "The defendant assaulted his parents, and when his brother tried to discipline him and struck him, he killed both his father and brother, and then murdered his mother when she returned home." The court added, "Considering the number of victims-three-and the defendant's relationship to them, the prosecutor's demand for the death penalty is understandable."
However, the court explained, "Based on the risk assessment for recidivism and the results of the psychopathy test, the risk of reoffending due to mental illness was classified as low." The court further stated, "Rather than depriving the defendant of his life, we determined that it is appropriate to sentence him to life imprisonment so that he can atone for his actions for the rest of his life."
Wearing a light green prison uniform at the sentencing hearing, Mr. A said, "I never imagined something like this would happen, and I am struggling mentally." The court responded, "Accept the verdict calmly and composedly." During the final hearing in October, the prosecution had sought the death penalty for Mr. A.
Previously, Mr. A was brought to trial on charges of stabbing and killing his parents, who were in their 60s and 70s, and his brother, who was in his 30s, at a single-family home in Haseong-myeon, Gimpo City, on July 10. Investigations revealed that he first killed his father and brother around 11 a.m., and then, after his mother returned home from an outing around 1 p.m., he killed her as well.
The police responded the next day to a report from a friend of Mr. A's mother, who said, "There are bloodstains in front of the house," and arrested Mr. A, who was sleeping in a room, on the spot. Mr. A, who was unemployed at the time, reportedly committed the crime out of resentment after being struck by his brother while assaulting his parents, who had expressed concern for him.
Investigations found that Mr. A had been working as a freelance website developer but had been living with his parents since mid-June after losing his work. It was also confirmed that prior to the crime, he had searched for keywords such as "mental illness murder" on the internet, but Mr. A claimed the crime was committed impulsively.
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