A man in his sixties attempted to commit murder when a woman he met at work demanded to break up with him, ultimately causing serious injuries that resulted in her losing sight in one eye. He was sentenced to 13 years in prison, the same as in the first trial, by the appellate court.
According to the legal community on the 12th, the Second Criminal Division of the Suwon High Court (judges Kim Jong-woo, Park Kwang-seo, Kim Min-ki) upheld the 13-year prison sentence for A, who was charged with attempted murder, threats, property damage, and violating the Road Traffic Act (refusal to take a breathalyzer test).
The court also ordered that A wear an electronic location tracking device for 20 years.
A appeared in court for seriously injuring B (67) by swinging a weapon at her eye while they were in a vehicle together near a reservoir in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, on April 21 of last year.
The two became acquainted while working at the same cleaning service company.
Investigations revealed that when B demanded to break up, citing her marital status, A sent her numerous threatening messages and even went to her residence.
On the day of the incident, A forcibly put B into his car and said, “Why do you never answer the phone on Saturdays? I’ve thought about you a lot, but since you don’t know, I’ll end it.” He then threw B’s phone out of the car.
He further threatened her by showing a pill bottle, stating, “If you take this, you’ll die within five minutes. It’s worth 500,000 won.”
When B resisted and bit A’s wrist, A started attacking her with a weapon he had in his possession. During the attack, B suffered serious injuries and lost sight in one eye.
After the attack, A drove while intoxicated and parked his car in a building’s parking lot. When B attempted to escape from the stopped vehicle, A, trying to stop her, reversed the car and damaged the building’s fence.
A was arrested on the spot by the police. During the investigation, it was revealed that A had 48 previous convictions and was wearing an electronic bracelet at the time of the crime.
In court, A did not admit his wrongdoing and rather blamed B.
The first trial court stated, “Murder crimes, even if they are attempted, cannot be justified for any reason,” and noted the extremely poor nature of the crime considering the circumstances and methods of the act, the vital area attacked, and the severity of the injuries sustained by the victim.
A’s side filed an appeal, arguing, “There was no intent to kill. The sentence is too harsh.”
However, the appellate court pointed out, “The area where the defendant stabbed the victim is a very critical area, and the lower court reasonably judged that the defendant would have been fully aware that the victim could have died from his actions.”
The court continued, “The original judgment, which took into account both circumstances unfavorable and favorable to the defendant, is justified,” and dismissed A’s appeal.
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