A teenager who tried to kill a mother and her two daughters at an apartment in Wonju, Gangwon, was sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.
On the 20th, the Criminal Division 1 of the Wonju Branch of the Chuncheon District Court (Presiding Judge Kim Ji-hyun) sentenced A, 16, to a maximum of 10 years and a minimum of 7 years in prison on charges including attempted murder, special residential intrusion, and producing sexual exploitation materials under the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse.
The court also ordered 40 hours in a sex-violence treatment program, a seven-year employment restriction at institutions related to children and juveniles, and five years of probation. It dismissed the order to attach an electronic monitoring device.
The court noted, "The defendant meticulously prepared the crime, searching for ways to hire a contract killer and seeking out tools for the offense," adding, "After deceiving the victim to learn the common entrance door password and the father's absence time, the defendant lay in wait for 35 minutes."
It also cited A's statement in the prosecution's investigation that "killing one person or three is the same, and I thought it would be fine as long as I killed quickly and wasn't discovered," saying, "There is no sign of recognition of the value of life or a sincere attitude of reflection."
The court said it set the sentencing level considering that A was 15 at the time of the crime and may have potential for behavioral improvement, that an IQ at the borderline level was assessed in a clinical psychological evaluation, and that there was no prior criminal record.
A was indicted on charges of attempting to kill a woman in her 40s, B, and her two teenage daughters by wielding a weapon at an apartment in Danggu-dong, Wonju, on Feb. 5. B suffered a severe neck injury, and the two daughters were wounded on their arms and shoulders. After the crime, A hid in a flower bed near the apartment and was arrested red-handed by police who responded to a neighbor's report.
An investigation found that A decided to commit the crime because the victim allegedly interfered with A's private life. Phone forensics confirmed searches for "contract killing" and records of trying to buy a weapon. A is also accused of demanding sexual acts during video calls with the victim and secretly recording them to produce sexual exploitation materials.