Man in his 30s who killed his estranged wife through domestic violence receives reduced sentence in appeals court

On the 23rd, the Chuncheon Branch of the Seoul High Court's First Criminal Division overturned the original ruling and sentenced A (38) to 10 years in prison for murder and violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Domestic Violence Crimes.

A is accused of fatally assaulting his estranged wife B on the street.

The court stated, "The physical and mental shock and suffering the victim endured is unimaginable," and pointed out, "The pain and challenges that the young children will face in the future seem unlikely to be resolved in their lifetime."

A committed the act out of extreme anger after witnessing B with another man in Gangneung in April of last year.

He shouted at B, "Does it make sense for you to abandon the kids at a daycare and cheat on me?" while punching her, grabbed her by the hair and slammed her head onto the asphalt, then forcefully stomped on B's head as she lay on the ground.

As a result, B suffered brain damage and died about a month later.

An investigation revealed that A had been in conflict with B over child custody issues and had been separated since February of last year. On the day of the incident, he became infuriated after seeing B getting out of a car with another man while entwining their arms.

In March of the same year, A had also gone to B's workplace with their children, leading B to report him to the police for "child abandonment."

During the trial, A claimed he had no intent to kill the victim, but the court did not accept this argument.

However, considering the defendant's acknowledgment of the facts, signs of remorse, and the fact that he reached an agreement with the victim's side, the court deemed the original sentence too harsh and therefore reduced it.

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