50s Sentenced to Life Imprisonment for Killing and Abandoning Stepson Over 400 Million Won Insurance Payout

Court. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Min Jun-young] A man in his 50s who killed his intellectually disabled stepson in his 20s by beating him to death and then abandoned the body was sentenced to life imprisonment.

The Jeonju Branch of the Gwangju High Court, 1st Criminal Division (Chief Judge Kim Sung-joo) announced on the 17th that it dismissed the appeal of A (58), who was tried on charges of murder and corpse abandonment, and upheld the original sentence of life imprisonment.

The court stated, "Although the defendant claims innocence, considering the defendant's whereabouts on the day of the incident, behavior after the crime, and objective evidence such as CCTV footage, the defendant's crime can be acknowledged," and added, "The defendant's claim of legal error cannot be accepted, and the sentence imposed by the lower court does not seem excessively harsh."

It continued, "The defendant claims to have had financial comfort through various businesses, but in reality, the bank account balance rarely exceeded an average of 34,000 won, indicating financial hardship, and it appears the crime was committed to claim the life insurance payout of the victim."

A was previously indicted for beating his intellectually disabled stepson B (20 at the time of death) multiple times with a blunt object inside a car on a road in Seongsu-myeon, Imsil-gun, at around 6:50 p.m. on September 3 last year, causing his death, and then abandoning the body nearby.

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