Three Dead in Arson Over Denied Drinks... 25-Year Sentence Confirmed for Motel Arsonist in Gongdeok-dong

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] A man in his 70s who set fire to a motel room after being refused alcohol by the motel owner, resulting in the deaths of three people, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison. The man, who denied the charges in the first trial and was sentenced to 20 years, admitted the charges in the second trial, but the appellate court increased the sentence by 5 years.

On the 10th, the Supreme Court's First Division (Presiding Justice Kim Seonsu) announced that it upheld the original sentence of 25 years in prison for Jo (71), who was charged with arson causing death and other offenses.

Jo is accused of setting fire to a paper with a lighter and then transferring the fire to his coat to commit arson at a motel in Gongdeok-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, where he was staying, at around 2:38 a.m. on November 25, 2020. Jo, who had three prior attempted arson convictions, was on probation at the time.

On the day of the incident, Jo, intoxicated, was breaking furniture with a chair in the motel. When the motel owner tried to stop him, Jo demanded more alcohol but was refused, which led to his resentment and the subsequent crime. As a result of the fire, three guests staying at the motel died from smoke inhalation, and five others suffered injuries such as carbon monoxide poisoning.

It was confirmed that Jo fled the motel alone at the time. Afterward, he went to a nearby convenience store and, without mentioning the fire, only requested the clerk to call 119 (emergency services) because he had a stomachache.

In the first trial, Jo claimed he did not set the fire and argued that even if he had, he had no intent to cause casualties. However, the court sentenced him to 20 years, stating, "Jo's confession was so detailed about the method of arson and subsequent events that it could only have come from direct experience," and "He could have reasonably anticipated that many people were staying at the motel at the time of the crime."

In the second trial, Jo changed his stance and admitted the charges in an attempt to reduce his sentence. Nevertheless, the appellate court sentenced him to 25 years, heavier than the first trial. The appellate court judged the crime as severe because Jo had three prior similar offenses and committed this crime during probation and probationary supervision.

The court stated, "Despite knowing that he cannot control his behavior when intoxicated, he failed to restrain himself and engaged in increasingly dangerous actions," and "After setting the fire at dawn, he fled and only asked a nearby convenience store clerk to call 119 because of a stomachache, without taking any other measures to prevent further damage."

The Supreme Court also ruled that "the 25-year sentence is not excessively unfair," thereby confirming the sentence as is.

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