"70-Year-Old Man Wields Knife at ER Doctor in Rage Over Wife's Death"

Received CPR in ER due to Cardiac Arrest but Passed Away
Sentenced to 3 Years and 6 Months in Prison in Both First and Appellate Trials

A man in his 70s who was dissatisfied with the death of his wife, who received cardiopulmonary resuscitation in a hospital emergency room, and attempted to kill the doctor after the funeral, was sentenced to the same prison term in the appellate court as in the original trial.

According to Yonhap News on the 16th, the Suwon High Court Criminal Division 2-3 (Presiding Judges Lee Sang-ho, Wang Jeong-ok, Kim Gwan-yong) announced that in the appeal trial of Mr. A, who was charged with attempted murder, the court sentenced him to 3 years and 6 months in prison, the same as the original trial.

Mr. A was brought to trial on charges of injuring Dr. B by repeatedly swinging a weapon at him in the hospital emergency room around 9 a.m. on June 15, 2022. At that time, he hid the weapon inside a paper bag containing food and entered the hospital, then told a nurse, "I want to give food to (Dr. B)." After being guided to Dr. B's location, Mr. A committed the crime. Dr. B was injured in the shoulder and back due to the attack but is reported to have recovered.

Suwon Court Complex Photo by Yonhap News

During the investigation, Mr. A stated that he was dissatisfied because his wife, who was transported to the hospital emergency room in a state of cardiac arrest, died despite receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation performed by Dr. B. He also harbored resentment because Dr. B and others did not show condolences during the funeral held at the same hospital.

The original trial court said, "The defendant, prioritizing only his grievance, attempted to kill the victim, who was engaged in emergency medical care, inside the medical institution," and sentenced him to 3 years and 6 months in prison. Mr. A appealed, claiming the sentence was too harsh, but the appellate court rejected this, stating, "There is no change in the sentencing conditions to warrant altering the original sentence."

Furthermore, the appellate court explained the reason for the sentence, saying, "The original court considered various sentencing factors, including the defendant's old age and lack of prior criminal record, in determining the sentence for the defendant."

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