"Sentenced to 30 Years for Killing Taxi Driver Over Marriage Funds and Fleeing to Thailand in His 40s"

The court sentenced a man in his 40s to 30 years in prison for murdering a taxi driver and stealing money to fund his marriage to a Thai woman, after which he fled to Thailand.

The Cheonan Branch Criminal Division 1 of the Daejeon District Court (Presiding Judge Jeon Gyeong-ho) handed down the sentence on the 14th to Mr. A (45), who was detained and prosecuted on charges including robbery and murder, according to Yonhap News. Mr. A was tried for killing a taxi driver, Mr. B (70), last October to raise the dowry and other funds needed for his marriage to a Thai woman, and stealing 10.48 million won.

On the day of the crime, around 12:46 a.m., Mr. A boarded Mr. B’s taxi in Gwangju Metropolitan City heading to Incheon Airport, then suddenly turned into a robber. Around 3 a.m., passing near Asan, Chungnam Province, Mr. A stopped the car claiming he needed to urinate, then strangled Mr. B’s neck. When the victim tried to escape, Mr. A assaulted him with his fists. After learning Mr. B’s mobile phone and bank application lock patterns, Mr. A left the collapsed Mr. B on a road in Asan, Chungnam.

Mr. A then drove the victim’s taxi to Incheon Airport, transferred 10 million won from Mr. B’s account to buy a plane ticket, and departed for Thailand. However, thanks to swift cooperation between the police and Thai judicial authorities, he was arrested at a Thai airport 11 hours after the crime. Mr. B was found dead after being left on the road for about three hours.

In court, Mr. A claimed he had no intent to kill and argued for a charge of robbery resulting in death rather than robbery murder, but the court rejected this. The court stated, “A healthy man in his 40s strangling the neck of a 70-year-old man to the point of unconsciousness, wrapping his neck with tape, and leaving him unattended for a long time is an act that could endanger life. It is reasonable to believe the defendant was aware of this.” The court further noted, “The defendant planned the crime in advance to raise wedding expenses and dowry, assaulted the victim who was in pain to cause unconsciousness, then wrapped him with tape and left him, fleeing the scene. This is highly condemnable and carries heavy guilt.”

Additionally, the court explained the sentencing rationale: “The bereaved family, who lost their loved one in an instant and will live with lifelong wounds and pain, are in unimaginable distress. It seems necessary to isolate the defendant for a long period to minimize the risk of reoffending.” Meanwhile, the prosecution had previously sought a life sentence for Mr. A, and the bereaved family requested the death penalty. Upon the verdict, the family expressed their outrage, saying, “How can 30 years in prison be justified for killing a person?” and “If there is a risk of reoffending, why not impose the death penalty?”

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