'Arson Murder' An In-duk Appeals Life Sentence in Second Trial... Files Appeal Petition

Ahn In-deuk, charged with arson and murder in Jinju apartment case
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Ahn Indeuk (43), who was charged with causing 22 casualties by wielding a weapon at residents evacuating after setting fire to an apartment, has appealed to the Supreme Court.

According to the legal community on the 30th, Ahn Indeuk submitted a notice of appeal to the court on the 25th, the day after the appellate court's ruling. The Jinju Branch of Changwon District Prosecutors' Office also filed an appeal to the Supreme Court in protest against the appellate court's commutation of the death sentence to life imprisonment.

The Criminal Division 1 of the Changwon Branch of the Busan High Court (Chief Judge Jinseok Kim) sentenced Ahn Indeuk to life imprisonment on the 24th for charges including murder and arson of an inhabited building.

The court stated that considering the overall circumstances of Ahn Indeuk's crime, the death penalty would be appropriate, but acknowledged his diminished mental capacity at the time of the crime and thus reduced the sentence.

The first trial, conducted as a citizen participation trial, sentenced Ahn Indeuk to death in November last year. In response, Ahn Indeuk appealed, claiming that the first trial court erred by sentencing him to death instead of reducing the sentence due to his diminished mental capacity.

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