An elderly man in his 80s, who killed his son in his 50s after suffering from domestic violence for years, was sentenced to prison in the second trial.
According to the legal community on the 27th, the 4th Criminal Division of the Seoul High Court (Director General Hwang Jin-gu, Ji Young-nan, Kwon Hyuk-jung) sentenced Mr. A in his 80s to 3 years and 6 months in prison, consistent with the first trial's ruling on murder charges from last May.
Mr. A is accused of killing his son, Mr. B, by strangling him with a belt at his home on September 17, the day of the Chuseok holiday last year. At that time, Mr. B, who was drunk, yelled and cursed at Mr. A, who then threatened, "I will kill you." When Mr. B responded, "Go ahead and kill me; if you can't kill me, I will kill you," Mr. A, angry, committed the act.
Mr. B, who lived with his parents after the divorce, had been punished multiple times for offenses due to excessive drinking, and it was revealed that for about 10 years prior to this incident, he had yelled at and cursed his parents whenever he drank.
In the earlier trial, Mr. A was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in prison, and both Mr. A and the prosecution appealed, citing unfair sentencing.
The second trial court pointed out, "Considering the circumstances and methods of the crime, intent, and the irreparable result of the victim's death, we cannot avoid heavy punishment."
However, it was also considered a mitigating factor that Mr. A voluntarily reported the crime to the 112 emergency number right after the act, his advanced age, and the family members' pleas for leniency due to the suffering caused by Mr. B.
The court stated, "When the circumstances acknowledged by the properly selected and examined evidence and records from the original trial are considered, the sentence from the original trial is not acknowledged as too light or heavy and, therefore, should be maintained."