Daegu High Court Overturns Not Guilty Verdict for 50s Murder Suspect, Sentences to 13 Years Imprisonment

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Dong-wook] A man in his 50s, who was charged with killing a junior with a weapon after insulting his physical disability while drinking together, was sentenced to 13 years in prison in the second trial, reversing the first trial's not guilty verdict, and was taken into custody in court.

The Daegu High Court Criminal Division 1 (Chief Judge Kim Yeon-woo) announced on the 16th that it overturned the original not guilty verdict and sentenced A (53) to 13 years in prison on charges of murder. The court also ordered the attachment of an electronic location tracking device (electronic anklet) for 10 years.

In the judgment, the court stated, "Considering the circumstances before and after the crime and the defendant's behavior, the defendant's statements lack credibility, and it is sufficiently recognized that he killed the victim."

It added, "It appears that the victim died in extreme fear and pain," and explained the sentencing reasons by saying, "Although there was no agreement with the bereaved family, considering that the defendant was intoxicated and enraged by the insult to the physical disability, leading to an impulsive crime."

A was indicted on charges of killing B (then 49 years old) with a weapon on the afternoon of January 21 last year at his home in Cheongdo-gun, Gyeongbuk, after drinking together and having an argument. He reported to a nearby police station immediately after B's death, saying someone had died, but during the investigation, the police arrested A as the suspect.

The first trial court acquitted him, stating, "The defendant is different from a person who committed a typical murder, and among the evidence submitted by the prosecution, there is no evidence specifically proving A's crime, so the criminal facts cannot be considered proven."

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