Caregiver Husband of Rare Disease Patient Killed Her... 60s Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison

A man in his 60s was sentenced to prison for killing his common-law spouse who was suffering from a rare disease while caring for her.

On the 24th, the Criminal Division 11 of the Seoul Northern District Court (Presiding Judge Ban Jeong-mo) sentenced Seong Mo (62), who was indicted on charges of murder, to five years in prison.

Seong strangled a woman in her 70s, Ms. A, who had lived with him in a common-law relationship for over 30 years, at their home in Suyu-dong, Gangbuk-gu, Seoul, last July. Since early 2020, after Ms. A was diagnosed with a rare disease with no cure, Seong had been caring for her. During the police investigation, Seong stated, "I was financially strained and felt hopeless due to caregiving."

Seong's defense attorney argued that he suffered from mental and physical disorders such as sleep deprivation, stress, anger, and depression caused by caregiving, but the court did not accept this. The court stated, "Considering the circumstances and methods of the crime, the defendant's behavior before and after the crime, and his statements and attitude during the investigation, it does not appear that he was incapable or significantly impaired in distinguishing reality or making decisions due to mental or physical disorders at the time."

The court explained the sentencing by saying, "We took into account favorable factors such as Seong having fully cared for Ms. A from the time of her rare disease diagnosis until the time of the crime, his economic difficulties after quitting his job because of caregiving, the somewhat impulsive nature of the crime, and the victim's family not wishing for punishment."

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