Man in 30s Who Killed Apartment Resident Over Interfloor Noise Conflict Sentenced to Life Imprisonment in Appeal Trial

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] A man in his 30s who killed an upstairs neighbor in an apartment over a dispute about noise between floors was sentenced to life imprisonment again in the appellate court.

According to the legal community on the 8th, the Gwangju High Court's 1st Criminal Division (Presiding Judge Lee Seung-cheol) dismissed both the defendant A (35) and the prosecution's appeals in the appellate trial of A, who was indicted for murder and attempted murder and sentenced to life imprisonment in the first trial.

The original court's order to attach an electronic tracking device for 20 years to A was also upheld.

A was tried on charges of killing or seriously injuring an upstairs resident while protesting noise issues between floors at an apartment in Yeosu-si, Jeollanam-do, around 12:33 a.m. on September 27 last year.

A lured the couple in their 30s to come outside through the intercom, then wielded a weapon against them inside the house where the upstairs stairway entrance and front door were open.

After hearing his daughter's screams, A decided to kill the parents in their 60s who woke up and witnessed his crime, but the attempt failed due to their strong resistance.

The parents reported the urgent situation to 112 and fought back against A, suffering serious injuries to their head and arms.

It was revealed that A had prepared for this crime several months in advance.

From February to September last year, he purchased hiking knives from online shopping malls and examined over 600 types of weapons.

He accumulated extreme anger and hatred, even playing recordings of upstairs noise to his own parents and saying, "I want to split these people apart."

A claimed that he was in a state of insanity or diminished mental capacity at the time of the crime and argued for acquittal or reduced sentencing, while the prosecution requested the death penalty at the last sentencing hearing, but the court rejected both.

The court explained the sentencing by stating, "The defendant admitted all his crimes and showed remorse, and immediately after the crime, he called 112 himself to surrender. Considering comprehensively that there were psychiatric symptoms such as delusions or auditory hallucinations that could have been a factor in the crime."

Meanwhile, the first trial court previously judged, "A human life that cannot be exchanged for anything was sacrificed," and "Considering the circumstances that the bereaved families must live with lifelong pain and suffering that is difficult to heal, the defendant must live isolated from society, repenting and atoning."

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