'Serial Killer' Kwon Jae-chan Appeals First Trial Death Sentence

Kwon Jae-chan (52), who killed a woman he had known and also murdered an accomplice who helped dispose of the body, is being transferred from Incheon Michuhol Police Station to the prosecution. 2021.12.14 [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Kwon Jae-chan (53), who killed a woman he knew, robbed her of valuables, and then fatally struck an accomplice who helped dispose of the body with a blunt weapon, has appealed the death sentence handed down in the first trial.

According to the Incheon District Court on the 29th, Kwon, who was detained and indicted on charges including robbery-murder and corpse disposal and was sentenced to death in the first trial on the 23rd, submitted an appeal to the court's Criminal Division 15 (Chief Judge Lee Gyu-hoon) the day before, but did not disclose the reason for the appeal.

According to Article 349 of the Criminal Procedure Act, a defendant cannot waive an appeal (appeal or final appeal) against a judgment sentencing death, life imprisonment, or life imprisonment without parole. Regardless of whether the defendant files an appeal, cases in which a sentence of life imprisonment without parole or higher is handed down in the first trial automatically proceed to the Supreme Court for review.

The prosecution also appealed to the court the day before. It is known that the prosecution appealed because it could not accept the first trial court's recognition of the crime against the accomplice as simple murder among the two robbery-murder charges.

Kwon's appeal trial is scheduled to be held at the Seoul High Court.

Kwon was detained and indicted on charges of strangling a woman in her 50s, Ms. A, whom he knew, to death in the underground parking lot of a commercial building in Michuhol-gu, Incheon, on December 4 last year, and then disposing of the body in the trunk of a passenger car.

The next day, he is also charged with beating to death his accomplice, a man in his 40s named Mr. B, with a blunt weapon he had prepared in advance in a nearby mountain in Eulwang-ri, Jung-gu, Incheon, and secretly burying the body nearby.

In 2003, Kwon also killed a pawnshop owner in Incheon by beating him, stole 320,000 won, fled to Japan illegally, but was later caught and served 15 years in prison.

The court sentenced Kwon to the death penalty, the highest sentence under the law, stating that there is a possibility he could commit murder again, only 3 years and 8 months after his release.

At the sentencing hearing held on the 23rd, the first trial court (Incheon District Court Criminal Division 15) stated, "The defendant prepared the tools for the crime in advance, then sequentially killed the victims according to his purpose and intention, disposed of the bodies, destroyed evidence, and even attempted to flee abroad. Despite the very serious consequences, he is not sincerely reflecting on his actions."

It continued, "There is no possibility of rehabilitation or restoration of humanity for the defendant. Considering that the death penalty is an extremely exceptional punishment that permanently deprives the defendant of life, we sentence the defendant to the death penalty, the highest punishment under criminal law, to hold him accountable and prevent recurrence."

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