At the first trial held on the 18th, the defense for the defendants accused of beating film director Kim Chang-min to death in front of his son with developmental disabilities said they had no intent to kill.
At the first hearing of the Kim Chang-min director murder case held by the 1st Criminal Division of the Namyangju Branch of the Uijeongbu District Court (Presiding Judge Kim Guk-sik) on this day, the attorneys for defendants a person surnamed Lee (32) and a person surnamed Lim (32) made this claim and denied the charges.
The defendants are accused of assaulting Director Kim, who was with his son with developmental disabilities at a restaurant in Guri, Gyeonggi, in Oct. last year, causing his death (murder and violations of the Welfare of Persons with Disabilities Act, among others).
Prosecutors said the defendants dragged Director Kim into an alley and beat him mercilessly with their fists and feet, causing his death, and said they assaulted Director Kim in front of his son, terrifying him and emotionally abusing him.
The defendants' attorney said they hit him with their fists but did not use their feet and had no intent to kill, adding that while they acknowledge assault or injury, they do not accept the murder charge.
They went on to argue that they did not at all anticipate the victim would die and that they either did not know Director Kim's son had a disability at the time or did not recognize that he witnessed it.
Earlier, after receiving the case from police, prosecutors investigated it with a task force of three prosecutors and five investigators, succeeded in arresting the suspects—an effort in which police had failed—and brought the case to trial.
Also, unlike the police, who applied the charge of injury causing death, prosecutors secured a recording of a phone call between the defendants and determined that at the time of the assault they foresaw Director Kim's death, and applied the murder charge.
The statutory penalty for injury causing death is three to 30 years in prison, but murder is punishable by death, life imprisonment, or at least five years in prison, which is heavier. The next hearing will be held on the 9th of next month.