'Younger Brother in His 20s Who Killed Older Sister and Abandoned Her in Irrigation Canal' Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison in Second Trial

Second Trial: "Long-term Isolation... Requires Repentance and Atonement"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] A man in his 20s, accused of killing his older sister and disposing of her body in an agricultural waterway, was sentenced to 30 years in prison in the appellate court, the same as in the first trial.

On the afternoon of the 25th, the Criminal Division 5 of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judges Yoon Gang-yeol, Park Jaeyoung, Kim Sangcheol) delivered this verdict in the appeal trial of Mr. A (27, male), who was charged with murder and other offenses. The court stated, "It is necessary to isolate the defendant from society for a long period so that he can live with sincere remorse and atonement," and added, "The sentence in the first trial is neither too harsh nor too lenient."

Earlier, Mr. A was brought to trial on charges of stabbing his sister, Ms. B, in her 30s, dozens of times with a weapon at an apartment in Incheon on December 19 of last year, resulting in her death.

It was investigated that Mr. A left Ms. B’s body, which he had placed in a travel bag, in the apartment rooftop storage for 10 days before disposing of it in an agricultural waterway in Ganghwa-gun, Incheon. It is reported that the crime occurred during an argument after his sister criticized him for running away from home and overspending on the day of the incident.

In February, when their parents reported Ms. B missing to the police, Mr. A inserted her phone’s USIM into another device, accessed her KakaoTalk account pretending to be her, and logged into mobile banking to withdraw money from her account. However, about four months after the crime, in April, Ms. B’s body was discovered following a resident’s report, and Mr. A was arrested by the police on the 29th of the same month.

In the first trial, the prosecution sought a life sentence, but the court sentenced him to 30 years in prison. At that time, the court stated, "The defendant committed a merciless murder with a weapon and showed behavior devoid of any humanity while disposing of the body," and added, "Even immediately after the body was found, he deceived the police by fabricating a non-existent boyfriend of the victim and claiming that she had run away with him." The court further noted, "Considering that the defendant is remorseful and that the parents, who suffered the greatest mental damage, earnestly requested leniency."

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