25-Year Prison Term for Man Who Brutally Murdered Ex-Girlfriend Despite Death Penalty Plea

A man in his 30s, who stalked and brutally murdered his ex-girlfriend, ignoring the prosecutor’s restraining order, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.

On the 18th, the Criminal Division 15 of the Incheon District Court (Chief Judge Ryu Ho Jung) sentenced Mr. A, who was indicted for violations of the Act on the Punishment of Specific Crimes, including revenge murder and Stalking, to 25 years in prison.

Mr. A was arrested and indicted for stabbing and killing a woman in her 30s, referred to as Ms. B, his ex-girlfriend, in the hallway of an apartment in Namdong-gu, Incheon, at 5:53 am on July 17 last year. He also severely injured both hands of Ms. B’s mother, who came out of the house upon hearing her daughter’s screams and tried to stop the crime by swinging a weapon at her multiple times.

Mr. A was found to have committed the crime despite having received a court’s temporary restraining order in June last year for previous assault and stalking crimes, which ordered him not to approach within 328 feet of Ms. B and prohibited him from contacting her electronically.

Thereupon, the prosecution demanded the death penalty, the highest legal punishment, at the final hearing on the 15th of last month, stating, “The defendant brutally and premeditatedly murdered the defenseless victim.” In response, Mr. A said, “I would like to atone for the immense sorrow of the bereaved family with my life,” and even requested the court to sentence him to death.

However, the court’s decision was different.

Before the sentence, the court explained, “The victim lost her precious life suddenly on her way to work, and it is hard to imagine how much fear and mental pain she must have felt at the time of the crime” and “The victim’s mother is suffering from aftereffects after injuring her fingers and wrists trying to stop the crime.”

The court also added, “The victim’s daughter has suffered a severe mental shock, and the sadness and mental pain of losing her mother must have been very great,” and “The bereaved family must live with great mental pain for the rest of their lives, and the victim’s family is demanding severe punishment.”

The court also pointed out, “He did not respond to the question ‘Do you think the victim is at fault?’ during the previous trial, which raises questions about whether he is seriously remorseful for his crime.”

However, the court explained the reason for the sentence, saying, “It cannot be conclusively stated that the victim’s child witnessed the crime scene, or that the defendant committed the crime even while being watched by the child, so it was not an aggravating factor for a stronger punishment,” and “Considering his attitude of accepting punishment for his crime and the fairness of punishment compared to other revenge crimes, it was judged difficult to deprive the defendant of his life or isolate him permanently.”