Prosecution Seeks Death Penalty Again in 2nd Trial for An In-deuk in 'Jinju Apartment Arson Murder'

On April 25 last year, Ahn In-deuk leaving Jinju Police Station in Gyeongnam to be transferred to the prosecution. / Yonhap

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] In the appellate trial of Ahn In-deuk (43), who set fire to the apartment he lived in last April and killed 5 people and injured 17 others by wielding a weapon at residents fleeing the fire, the prosecution demanded the death penalty, just as in the first trial.

At the appellate sentencing hearing held on the 22nd at the Changwon Branch of the Busan High Court Criminal Division 1 (Presiding Judge Kim Jin-seok), the prosecution requested the court to dismiss Ahn’s appeal, who was sentenced to death in the first trial on charges including murder.

The prosecution emphasized that Ahn committed the crime in a planned manner, selecting his targets in advance. They also argued that Ahn was not in a state of diminished mental capacity at the time of the crime.

During the prosecution’s sentencing statement, Ahn made several outbursts, saying things like “It’s absurd, I’m speechless” and “I suffered many disadvantages but was completely ignored.”

In his final statement, Ahn said, “I sincerely apologize to those who suffered due to my mistakes and wrongdoings. I am sorry,” but also rambled, “I complained that there are numerous problems throughout the entire country, but they were not accepted. If given a chance, I hope misunderstandings can be cleared up.”

Ahn was arrested and indicted on charges of setting fire to the apartment he lived in on April 17 last year in Jinju, Gyeongnam, and attacking residents fleeing the fire with a weapon, resulting in 22 people being killed or injured. He was charged with murder of 5 people, attempted murder of 4 people, weapon assault on 2 people, and injury to 11 people.

Previously, in the first trial conducted as a citizen participation trial, Ahn was sentenced to death. He appealed, claiming that there was an illegality in sentencing him to death instead of reducing the sentence due to diminished mental capacity.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.