"Sorry, That's All" The Final Defense of Jo Hyunjin Who Killed His Daughter in a Household with a Mother

Prosecutors Demand Life Sentence for Jo Hyunjin... "Must Be Permanently Isolated from Society"
Victim's Mother: "My 27-Year-Old Daughter Cannot Return, Please Sentence to Death"
Sentencing Hearing Scheduled for Morning of Next Month 4th

Cho Hyunjin (27), who is accused of fatally stabbing a woman who informed him of a breakup, is being transferred to the prosecution after leaving the Cheonan Dongnam Police Station in Cheongdang-dong, Dongnam-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungnam on the afternoon of January 21.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Cho Hyun-jin (27), who was charged with repeatedly stabbing his ex-girlfriend to death with a weapon after she broke up with him, has been sentenced to life imprisonment.

On the 7th, at the final trial held at the Cheonan Branch of Daejeon District Court, 1st Criminal Division (Chief Judge Chae Dae-won), the prosecution requested a life sentence and an order to attach an electronic tracking device for 20 years for Cho, who was charged with murder.

The prosecution stated, "The fact that he bought a weapon to kill the victim and carried it in his pocket clearly shows premeditation," adding, "He swung the weapon, which ultimately caused the victim to die from excessive bleeding." They further added, "He showed strong psychopathic tendencies and has a high risk of reoffending, so a severe criminal punishment is necessary to isolate him from society forever."

Cho’s defense attorney said, "He committed an unforgivable crime and cannot be forgiven by any words," but added, "However, considering the defendant’s difficult family background and lack of prior criminal record, we ask for leniency."

In his final statement, Cho said briefly, "I am sorry. That is all."

The victim A’s mother, who was at home during the crime, expressed in a prepared statement, "My daughter, the most beautiful in her twenties, begged for help but I couldn’t save her. When I am alone, I think of that day and cannot sleep at night," she said. "I still feel like I will get a KakaoTalk message saying ‘Mom,’ and I think she is living well somewhere, so I miss her so much and my heart hurts," she lamented. She also pleaded, "Cho Hyun-jin must pay for his sins for life, and even if he is sentenced to death, my 27-year-old daughter will not come back. I cannot forgive him. Please sentence him to death so that there will be no unjust ruling."

The sentencing trial is scheduled for the morning of the 4th of next month. Cho is accused of stabbing and killing his ex-girlfriend A in the bathroom of her home in Cheonan, Chungnam, around 9 p.m. on January 12. At the time of the crime, A’s mother was at home, and it was investigated that Cho took A to the bathroom, locked the door, and killed her by swinging the weapon.

When A’s mother knocked on the bathroom door after hearing A’s screams, Cho opened the door, pushed her away, fled, and hid in his one-room apartment, where he was arrested by the police. A’s mother found her daughter collapsed inside the bathroom, bleeding, called 119, and transported her to the hospital, but she ultimately died. Cho had been dating A since October of last year, but after A, who had conflicts due to Cho’s financial incapability, broke up with him, he committed this crime.

The police disclosed Cho’s personal information based on the brutality of the crime and sufficient evidence of the criminal facts.

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