'Husband Found Not Guilty in Geumodo Murder Case... Manslaughter, Not Murder (Update)'

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] The Supreme Court has upheld the appellate court's ruling that did not recognize murder charges in the so-called 'Geumodo Incident,' where it was alleged that a murder was committed for life insurance money and disguised as a car crash death.

On the 24th, the Supreme Court's 2nd Division (Presiding Justice Ahn Cheolsang) confirmed the original sentence of three years imprisonment in the appeal trial of Park, who was charged with violating the Special Act on the Treatment of Traffic Accidents (causing death) and automobile submersion.

Park was arrested and indicted on charges of causing the death of his wife, Ms. A, by driving their car off a pier into the sea at a pier in Geumodo, Yeosu-si, Jeollanam-do, around 10 p.m. on December 31, 2018. Park was reversing at the pier when he hit the crash prevention railing and got out of the driver's seat, saying he was checking the car's condition, leaving Ms. A inside the car. However, he exited the vehicle while the gearshift was in neutral (N), and the car, parked on a slope, rolled into the sea with his wife inside.

The prosecution argued that Park intentionally left the gearshift in neutral and got out of the car, then pushed the car into the sea, and thus charged him with murder. The fact that six insurance policies worth approximately 1.7 billion won were taken out in Ms. A's name shortly before the accident, and that after their marriage the beneficiary of the insurance was changed to Park, also served as grounds for the murder charge.

The first trial court mostly accepted the charges and sentenced Park to life imprisonment. However, the appellate court overturned the murder charge, acquitted Park of murder, and only recognized the violation of the Special Act on the Treatment of Traffic Accidents, sentencing him to three years imprisonment.

The Supreme Court also found it difficult to exclude reasonable doubt that the victim's death was not caused by Park's intentional act, and deemed the appellate court's judgment to be correct.

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