A Man in His 60s Who Claimed "I Woke Up and Found Him Dead," First Trial Judgment Was Different

Defendant Claims Innocence
Court Rejects Argument

A man in his 60s, who was charged with murdering a neighbor with whom he drank and played Baduk, claimed innocence by saying, "I woke up and found him dead," but was ultimately sentenced to a heavy prison term. On the 1st, the Criminal Division 2 of Jeju District Court announced that it sentenced Mr. A (69), who was detained and indicted on murder charges, to 15 years in prison.

Mr. A is accused of stabbing the victim, Mr. B, in his 60s, with a weapon at his residence in Seogwipo City on the night of July 8 last year. The two had been living alone in the same building but reportedly met for the first time on the day of the incident, shared three bottles of soju at a restaurant, and then continued drinking at Mr. A’s residence.

Jeju District Court

The prosecution believes that Mr. A killed Mr. B with a weapon while drinking and playing Baduk at his residence. An autopsy revealed that Mr. B was stabbed in nine different parts of his body, and his blood alcohol concentration was 0.421%, indicating a state incapable of resistance.

At the trial, Mr. A’s defense attorney argued that Mr. A had no motive to kill Mr. B and that the possibility of a third party’s involvement could not be completely ruled out, making it difficult to conclude beyond reasonable doubt that he committed the murder. Therefore, they requested a verdict of not guilty.

However, the court ruled that although there was no direct evidence regarding the charges and the defendant himself denied the allegations, the circumstantial evidence collectively proved beyond reasonable doubt that Mr. A killed Mr. B.

Regarding this, the court explained, "The defendant was the only person confirmed to have been with the victim at the time of the incident, and there was no trace of anyone else entering or visiting the defendant’s residence." The court also pointed out that the defendant’s statement that "I fell asleep and woke up to find the victim dead" could not explain "the victim’s bloodstains, which appeared to have splattered on the defendant’s clothes."

Furthermore, the court noted, "The victim’s blood alcohol concentration was so high that he seemed unaware of being stabbed with a weapon and was unable to resist," and added, "The absence of signs of resistance or defense on the victim and the lack of evidence that the defendant used the weapon with his hands are also understandable."

The court explained the sentencing by stating, "The method of the crime was extremely brutal. We also considered the defendant’s prior record of violence, including minor disputes and previous charges of inflicting bodily harm."

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