"Harassing Pet Dog..." 20s with Weapon Against Dating App Partner Faces Heavy Sentence for Murder Charge

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] A man in his 20s who was prosecuted for swinging a weapon and leaving his victim unattended for a long time, causing the death of a person he met through a dating app after accusing him of harassing his pet dog, was sentenced to a heavy punishment in the first trial.

According to the court on the 8th, the Criminal Division 24 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Jo Yongrae) recently sentenced A (27, male), who was charged with murder, to 15 years in prison.

The court stated, "If rescue measures such as calling 119 and hospital transfer had been promptly taken, the victim would not have died," and added, "The defendant did not take any measures, making the nature of the crime very serious." It also said, "The bereaved families are suffering from immense pain and wounds that are difficult to heal and are pleading for severe punishment of the defendant. A heavy sentence corresponding to the guilt is inevitable."

However, the court added, "The defendant is a first-time offender with no prior investigation history, and his social ties appear to be relatively clear," and "Considering that the crime seems to have been committed impulsively and that he himself reported to 112 despite knowing he could be a suspect for murder."

Earlier, A was accused of killing B (28, male), whom he met through a dating app, at his home in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, on May 14.

They shared six bottles of soju starting around 3:30 a.m. that day, and B was investigated to have treated A’s pet dog roughly by pushing or choking it continuously because the dog either ate the drinking snacks or kept bothering him. A, who had relied on the dog as more than family for about three years, became enraged and around 7 a.m. on the same day, brought a weapon from the kitchen and injured B.

B, who injured his arm, ran to a room and locked the door, but died from excessive bleeding around 3 p.m. A reported to 112 around 8 p.m., and it was found that he had searched for terms such as "statute of limitations for murder" and "sentence for murder" just before the report. The prosecution applied the charge of murder to A, believing that he left B unattended for a long time, including sleeping while leaving him alone, which caused his death, and sent him to trial.

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