Received 523 Million Won in Insurance Payout
Purchased a Foreign Car After Wife's Death
A man in his 50s, who was indicted on charges of murdering his wife and disguising the crime as a traffic accident to claim insurance money, was sentenced to 40 years in prison on appeal, the same sentence as in the original trial.
According to Yonhap News on January 15, the Criminal Division 3 of the Suwon High Court (Presiding Judge Kim Jonggi) sentenced Mr. A, in his 50s, to 35 years in prison for murder and related charges, and an additional 5 years for violating the Special Act on the Prevention of Insurance Fraud.
Mr. A was accused of murdering his wife, Ms. B (then 51 years old), by unknown means while driving a passenger car on a mountain road in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, around June 2, 2020. It was found that Mr. A, with his wife in a state of cardiac arrest, intentionally caused a single-vehicle accident on a slope. When the car caught fire from the impact, he pulled his wife out and escaped the vehicle together, then falsely stated, "My wife was driving, and an animal suddenly jumped out, causing the accident." An autopsy revealed that the cause of death, hypoxic brain injury, had occurred before the traffic accident, and the body showed signs of resistance.
Initially, the police concluded the case was a simple traffic accident, but after the victim's family raised suspicions, the prosecution formed a dedicated investigation team and uncovered the full circumstances. The prosecution confirmed that Mr. A had scouted the scene several times in advance, choosing a location without closed-circuit (CC) TV, and secretly purchased travel insurance for his wife, extending the coverage the day before the crime. Investigations showed that Mr. A, facing financial difficulties and juggling loans, planned the crime to claim his wife's life insurance payout. He received 523 million won in insurance money.
The court stated, "The defendant, driven into financial hardship by reckless business ventures and the pressure to return a jeonse deposit, meticulously planned and killed his wife, disguising it as a traffic accident to claim insurance money or attempt to do so. Considering the nature and circumstances of the crime, his guilt is extremely grave." The court further explained, "After his wife's funeral, the defendant neglected his daughter, used the insurance payout to repay debts, purchased a foreign car, and spent time with his mistress, showing no remorse after his wife's death. The victim lost her life, and her daughter, mother, and other family members are suffering severe emotional distress. The family is petitioning for a heavy sentence against the defendant."
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