Heechin Lee, Stock Tycoon of Cheongdam-dong, Parents Murdered... Daun Kim Sentenced to Life Imprisonment by Supreme Court

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] The life sentence was confirmed for Kim Da-woon, who was indicted for murdering the parents of Lee Hee-jin, known as the "Cheongdam-dong Stock Rich."

On the 29th, the Supreme Court's First Division (Presiding Justice No Tae-ak) dismissed the appeal against Kim, who was tried on charges of robbery-murder and corpse disposal, and upheld the original life sentence.

Kim was indicted for killing Lee's father (62) and mother (58) on the afternoon of February 25, 2019, at an apartment in Anyang-si, Gyeonggi Province, and fleeing with 500 million won in cash and a luxury foreign car. In particular, Kim is also accused of committing the crime together with three Chinese-Korean accomplices, including Park, whom he hired through the internet, placing Lee's father's body in a refrigerator and moving it to a warehouse in Pyeongtaek, and kidnapping Lee's younger sibling to extort money and valuables.

The three accomplices fled to China after the crime, and Kim also attempted to illegally enter China by sea but failed. Kim, who was arrested and indicted in April 2019, was sentenced to life imprisonment in the first trial last March. The second trial was remanded due to procedural issues in the first trial, but both the first and second trial courts judged that "considering the time spent at the crime scene, the weapon found in the defendant's vehicle containing the victim's DNA, the purchase of bleach and duct tape on the day of the incident, and testimonies from multiple witnesses, Kim committed the crime."

However, regarding the prosecution's demand for the death penalty, the court stated, "Although the crime was extremely brutal and the consequences severe, the death penalty should be imposed only in exceptional cases with special circumstances," adding, "Considering the content of other cases where the death penalty was previously imposed and the social perception of the death penalty, life imprisonment is deemed appropriate."

On the same day, the Supreme Court also ruled, "There is no error in the lower court's judgment that violates the rules of logic and experience, exceeds the limits of free evaluation of evidence, or misunderstands the law regarding the right to a trial by jury."

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