"60s Man Who Asked for a Swift Death Penalty Sentenced to Life Imprisonment in Appeal Trial"

A man in his 60s who appealed after being sentenced to death for saying, "Give me the death penalty quickly," was sentenced to life imprisonment in the appellate court.

The Criminal Division 1 of the Changwon Branch of the Busan High Court (Presiding Judge Seo Samhee) overturned the original death sentence and sentenced A, who was on trial for killing his cohabiting partner, to life imprisonment on the 7th.

According to the court, A was indicted for stabbing his 40s cohabiting partner B to death with a weapon at a residence in Changwon last year and was sentenced to the death penalty, the highest sentence in court, on August 24.

A frequently assaulted B during disputes over financial issues, and on the day of the incident, killed B because he felt ignored during an argument.

At the first trial sentencing, A said, "Please save the prosecutor's face just once. Just carry out the death penalty swiftly once," and added, "If the presiding judge is at the level of a chief judge, you have a career. I believe it is natural since you probably have not carried out a death penalty yet."

When the court sentenced him to death, he burst out laughing, stood up, clapped his hands above his head, and said to the prosecutor, "Hey, prosecutor, isn't that refreshing?"

Busan High Court Changwon Branch.
Photo by Lee Seryeong

Afterward, A submitted an appeal letter stating, "I appeal," but at the appellate trial held last month, he reversed his position again, claiming, "My lawyer argued that the sentencing was unfair," and demanded the death penalty once more.

He then claimed that he never extorted money from his cohabiting partner, but the prosecution's indictment incorrectly stated so, and that he had taken drugs before the crime, but the prosecution did not conduct hair tests or other examinations.

During his testimony, he criticized the prosecutor, saying, "If you are going to be a prosecutor, do it properly. If I am executed, I will haunt you as a spirit above your head," and "I can beat up a prosecutor even now."

In his final statement, he said, "I don't want to make any excuses," and "If I killed someone, I should naturally die too," requesting the execution of the death penalty.

A was first imprisoned as a juvenile offender in 1970 and has been sentenced 15 times to imprisonment and 8 times to fines, spending 29 years and 8 months in prison.

Among these, there have been three attempted murders starting in 2004 up to this year, and two murders. The motive for all murders and attempted murders was that he felt ignored.

This incident occurred one year and two months after he was released last January after serving a 12-year sentence for murder and other charges.

The appellate court said, "The death penalty can only be imposed when there are special circumstances that anyone would consider justifiable," and added, "The defendant receiving the death penalty because he wants it, or not receiving it because he does not want it, is not how it works."

It continued, "Compared to previous cases where the death penalty was imposed, there has been no case where the death penalty was confirmed simply because the defendant had many prior convictions or showed bad behavior during investigations or in court."

The court stated, "A committed the murder in a fit of anger during an argument and did not flee after the crime, even injuring himself, which are mitigating circumstances," but added, "However, considering the numerous prior convictions for murder and attempted murder and the very high risk of reoffending, it is necessary to isolate him from society for a long time, so sentencing him to life imprisonment is more appropriate."

After the appellate sentencing, A caused a disturbance by saying things like, "I am okay even if I get the death penalty," and "I insulted the prosecutor to get the death penalty," and was restrained.

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