Kim Dong-Won, who killed a headquarters employee and a father and daughter who were interior contractors at a pizza shop in Gwanak District, Seoul, was again sought the death penalty in his appeal. The first trial sentenced him to life in prison, but prosecutors cited the brutality of the methods and the risk of reoffending to again request the maximum sentence.
The Criminal Division 3 of the Seoul High Court (presiding judge Lee Seung-han, Director General) held the appellate hearing on the 9th for Kim Dong-Won, who was indicted on murder charges, and concluded arguments. Sentencing is on June 11.
Prosecutors asked the court to sentence Kim Dong-Won to death that day. They also sought 30 years of electronic monitoring and 5 years of probation. Prosecutors had sought the same sentence in the first trial.
Prosecutors emphasized the need for severe punishment, pointing to Kim Dong-Won's attitude and methods during the crime. Even as the victims pleaded for their lives, the attacks did not stop, and after the crime there was no display of sincere remorse to investigators. Prosecutors argued that it is hard to find potential for rehabilitation and that the risk of reoffending is high.
Kim Dong-Won's side said in the closing argument that the crime itself cannot be excused in any way, but asked for leniency, saying they are working on escrow deposits and settlements and are remorseful. In his final statement, Kim Dong-Won apologized to the victims and the bereaved families and said he would live the rest of his life in reflection and atonement.
Kim Dong-Won was brought to trial on charges of fatally stabbing one franchise headquarters employee and two interior contractors, a father and daughter, at the pizza shop he ran in Jowon-dong, Gwanak District, Seoul, in September last year. Investigators determined that Kim Dong-Won committed the crime out of resentment after the headquarters and the interior company refused free repairs on the grounds that the warranty period had expired.
In the earlier first trial, the court acknowledged the gravity of the crime but chose life imprisonment instead of the death penalty. The court reflected in the sentencing the extreme fear and pain the victims must have felt at the moment of the crime, the great harm suffered by the bereaved families, and the fact that forgiveness has not been granted to this day.