First Trial of 40s in 'Changwon Restaurant Owner Murder Case'... Denies Motive

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] A man in his 40s who stalked and murdered the owner of a meat restaurant, a woman in her 60s whom he had been a regular customer of for over ten years, admitted to the murder charge at his first trial but denied the motive behind the crime.

On the 18th, the Criminal Division 2 of Changwon District Court (Presiding Judge Lee Junghyun) held the first trial for A (43, male), who was indicted on murder charges.

The court stated, "The motive is disputed," summarized the issues, and after acknowledging or denying the evidence, decided to continue the next trial on August 13.

On this day, A admitted to the murder but reportedly denied the motive behind the crime.

Earlier, A was arrested and indicted on charges of stabbing B (60, female), the owner of a meat restaurant, multiple times with a weapon at an apartment complex in Uichang-gu, Changwon City, at around 9:51 a.m. on the 4th of last month.

During police investigation, A reportedly stated, "I am a regular customer, but she treated me differently and coldly compared to other customers."

However, forensic analysis of his mobile phone revealed that A had been stalking B for nearly ten years.

A confessed his feelings to B and had made nearly 100 phone calls continuously from February until recently.

In particular, it was confirmed that A sent text messages such as "I love you. I want your body," along with erotic videos to B.

As a result, B, who had children, rejected A's confession and blocked his calls.

Meanwhile, on the 8th, a petition titled "I am the son of the victim in the Changwon restaurant owner murder case" was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board.

The petitioner, who identified himself as the son of the victim in the "Changwon restaurant owner murder case," expressed, "An utterly unimaginable and absurd incident occurred, and the bereaved family is going through an unbearable time filled with anger," and lamented, "My mother, who lived her whole life for her family, had to leave us, which is heartbreaking."

He continued, "The victim of this heinous crime, where a healthy man in his 40s stabbed a woman in her 60s multiple times in the abdomen, lungs, and heart, is my one and only mother who gave birth to and raised me," adding, "While sorting through my mother's belongings, I found call records on her phone showing that the perpetrator made about 100 calls from February 9 to April 30, 2020. Despite my mother blocking his calls after enduring so much, the perpetrator kept calling countless times from early morning until late at night."

The petitioner stated, "I cannot forgive the perpetrator who took my mother away and will return to society as if nothing happened. Such malicious stalking crimes, where the perpetrator rationalizes themselves and blames the victim unilaterally, will happen again," and urged, "I hope for strict punishment so that the perpetrator cannot return to society and take away other mothers and precious people."

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