Chicken fight turned fatal... Emergency rescue team leader sentenced to 18 years for fatally assaulting colleague for 12 hours

Bereaved Family: "Father Also Passed Away from Shock... Murderer Who Killed Two, Will Appeal"

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Lee Sang-hyun] On the 8th, the Criminal Division 2 of Changwon District Court in Gyeongnam (Presiding Judge Lee Jeong-hyun) sentenced A (44), who was indicted on charges including murder, to 18 years in prison and ordered him to wear an electronic location tracking device for 10 years to prevent recidivism.

A is accused of assaulting employee B (44) with fists and feet for over 12 hours from 1 p.m. on December 24 last year until 1 a.m. on Christmas Day at his office in Gimhae, Gyeongnam, and leaving the collapsed victim on the cold floor for more than 9 hours, resulting in death.

An autopsy confirmed that the deceased B (44) died from multiple injuries including traumatic shock caused by rib fractures and subdural hemorrhage.

A denied the charges, claiming there was no intent to murder, but the court did not accept this.

According to the indictment, the assault began because B did not properly report a minor car accident he caused the day before to A.

In an audio recording from the scene, A can be heard verbally abusing B with phrases such as "A bastard like you should just die" and "You are a worthless dog who doesn't deserve to be treated like a human," while assaulting him unilaterally.

Despite B’s apologies, the assault continued for about 12 hours. During this time, B fainted or collapsed unable to stand properly, but the assault did not stop.

The court pointed out the brutality of the crime, stating, "The defendant weighs 100 kg, larger than the 70 kg victim. Also, the victim was assaulted without having eaten that day and showed signs of dehydration, yet the defendant ordered chicken to eat in front of him to replenish his strength and then continued to beat him."

After the assault, A and his spouse left B, who was barely able to move, on the cold floor of the office overnight. The next day, after 9 a.m., they put B in an ambulance and moved toward B’s home.

The court stated, "Although the defendant operates an emergency medical transport team, he took no measures to prevent the victim’s death, which sufficiently indicates intent to murder." The trial also revealed that A had eight prior convictions related to violence.

Judge Lee Jeong-hyun explained the sentencing, saying, "This case involves a high level of violence, the crime was very bold and cruel, and the circumstances after the crime, such as attempting to conceal the incident or destroy evidence, are very unfavorable. The victim’s family has requested severe punishment, making strict sentencing unavoidable."

Immediately after the sentence, the victim’s family expressed dissatisfaction, saying the ruling was less than the 30-year prison term requested by the prosecution.

B’s siblings, right after the verdict, said in front of the courtroom, "We cannot understand how the defendant, who brutally beat a person for 12 hours causing extreme pain and death, was sentenced to only 18 years. After this incident, our father could not sleep due to guilt and passed away in tears. The defendant is the person who killed two people," expressing their grief and anger.

Another sibling said, "Through the trial, we learned that the defendant had eight prior convictions for violence. We cannot understand how such a person could operate an emergency medical transport team. We will appeal," they stated.

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