"Prosecutor, Isn't It Refreshing?"... 60s Man Sentenced to Death for 5 Counts of Murder and Attempted Murder

Committed Murder One Year After Release in January Last Year
Clapped Hands and Mocked Prosecutor Leaving the Court
"Needs Permanent Isolation from This Society"

A man in his 60s who committed two murders and two attempted murders and then committed another murder just 1 year and 2 months after his release was sentenced to death.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 25th, the Criminal Division 4 of Changwon District Court (Chief Judge Jang Yujin) announced that it had sentenced Mr. A (68), who was indicted on charges of murder and special intimidation, to death in the first trial.

On February 27, Mr. A was indicted for stabbing to death Ms. B (in her 40s), a cohabiting woman in her 40s, multiple times with a weapon at a residence in Uichang-gu, Changwon-si, Gyeongnam.

Mr. A is also accused of threatening Ms. B’s child, who came upon hearing Ms. B’s screams, with a weapon.

Mr. A and Ms. B frequently quarreled over financial issues, and each time Mr. A assaulted Ms. B. On the day of the incident, Mr. A stated that he killed Ms. B because she ignored him during their argument.

Notably, this incident occurred just 1 year and 1 month after Mr. A was released from prison, where he had served 12 years for murder since January of last year.

During the trial, Mr. A often mocked the prosecution and the court. During the hearing, he said things like, "Please save the prosecutor’s face just once. Carry out the death penalty decisively," and "Judge, since you are a chief judge, you have a career. I believe it’s natural that you haven’t carried out a death sentence yet."

When the court sentenced him to death, Mr. A burst out laughing, stood up, and clapped his hands above his head. After the verdict, he shouted at the prosecutor leaving the courtroom, "Hey prosecutor, isn’t that refreshing?"

In a petition submitted to the court, he wrote, "The prosecutor must be eagerly awaiting the death sentence, so I hope the judges grant this wish," and added, "If people like me who commit murder do not sound an alarm, countless murder crimes will continue."

The court explained the sentencing by saying, "There is no sign of remorse or guilt toward the victims from the defendant, and the risk of recidivism is very high. If a life sentence is given, the possibility of parole leading to more victims cannot be ignored, so it is necessary to permanently isolate him from society more than anyone else."

It added, "This case corresponds to one that should be punished with the maximum sentence under the law," and "Sentencing the defendant to death is consistent with the duty of a judge."

Meanwhile, it is known that Mr. A has spent most of his life, 29 years and 8 months, in prison. He first entered prison as a juvenile offender in 1970 and has since received 15 prison sentences and 8 fines.

Mr. A has been punished five times for murder and attempted murder, including a 5-year sentence for attempted murder in 2004 and a 12-year sentence for murder in 2010. The victims of Mr. A’s murder and attempted murder crimes total six, and the motive was always that they ignored him.

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