Jeonju, South Korea – A 44-year-old man who received a 40-year prison sentence in the first trial for the gruesome murder of his seven-months-pregnant ex-wife has seen his heavy sentence upheld by the appellate court.
The first criminal division of the Gwangju High Court's Jeonju branch, presided over by Chief Judge Yang Jin-su, dismissed both the prosecution and the defendant's appeals on April 23rd, upholding the original 40-year prison term for A (44), who was indicted on charges of murder and attempted murder.
A was found guilty of fatally stabbing his 30-year-old ex-wife, B, at a hair salon in the Hyoja-dong neighborhood of Wansan-gu, Jeonju, on March 28th of last year.
At the time of the attack, B was seven months pregnant. A also wielded the weapon against B's common-law partner, who was present at the scene, inflicting injuries.
Tragically, the fetus was delivered via cesarean section following B's death but succumbed to life 19 days after birth.
The initial trial court stated, "Despite divorcing the victim and even writing a pledge stating he would not visit her again, the defendant persistently threatened and harassed her. Even after the victim dispossessed him of the weapon during a physical altercation, he retrieved it and murdered her," leading to the 40-year sentence.
The court also rejected A's repeated claims of diminished capacity.
The court elaborated, "According to the psychiatric evaluation from the National Forensic Mental Hospital, the defendant's primary symptoms at the time of the crime were anxiety and anger, not depression. Considering that he had wrapped bandages around the knife handle beforehand to prevent slippage and had prepared flammable materials, his mental state at the time was deemed sound."
Following the initial verdict, both the prosecution and A filed appeals, but both were ultimately dismissed.
The appellate court emphasized, "The defendant premeditated the crime and murdered the victim using extremely cruel methods. The bereaved family will bear indescribable pain for the rest of their lives due to this crime. The fetus in the victim's womb also faced the horrific reality of its mother's death and passed away just 19 days after birth without ever being properly held in the arms of its family."
The court further stated, "While the defendant submitted multiple letters of remorse in both the original and appellate trials, they are significantly insufficient to alleviate the pain of the bereaved family and seek their forgiveness," explaining the reason for the appeal's dismissal.
During the trial proceedings, when questioned by the judge about whether he was aware of the victim's pregnancy, A reportedly stated he "did not know," implying his lack of responsibility for the newborn's death. It was also revealed that he only submitted letters expressing remorse to the bereaved family after the appeal trial commenced, having only submitted statements of reflection during the initial trial.
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