'Three Mothers Murder' Kim Taehyun, First Appeal Trial Today... Life Sentence in First Trial

Kim Tae-hyun, accused of breaking into an apartment in Nowon-gu, Seoul, and killing a mother and her two daughters / Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] The first appeal trial of Kim Taehyun (25), who was sentenced to life imprisonment in the first trial for the murder of three women in a mother-daughter trio at an apartment in Nowon-gu, Seoul, will be held.

On the morning of the 15th, the Criminal Division 6-3 of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judges Jo Eunrae, Kim Yongha, Jeong Chongryeong) will conduct the first appeal trial of Kim, who was indicted on charges including murder.

Previously, Kim was brought to trial on charges of sequentially murdering the three women in a mother-daughter trio at an apartment in Junggye-dong, Nowon-gu, Seoul, on March 23. It was investigated that he committed these crimes against A, whom he met through an online game last November, because A refused to meet and did not respond to his contact, as well as against A’s younger sister and mother.

The prosecution indicted Kim in April on five charges including murder, theft, special trespassing, violation of the Information and Communications Network Act (information network intrusion, etc.), and violation of the Minor Offenses Act.

In court, Kim argued that he did not plan to kill A’s entire family and that the crime was impulsive. On the other hand, the prosecution judged that Kim had thoroughly planned the crime in advance.

The first trial sentenced him to life imprisonment, stating, "It is difficult to see that the defendant did not plan to kill the family in advance and that it happened impulsively during the crime." It also added, "The court cannot help but consider the strictness of the sentence and the sentencing consistency with similar cases."

Both Kim and the prosecution appealed against this judgment.

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