A man in his 30s who was sentenced to 12 years in prison for killing his mother was sentenced to a higher sentence on appeal.
The 1st Criminal Division of the Daejeon High Court (Chief Judge Baek Seung-yeop) overturned the original judgment in the appeal case for the murder of a 31-year-old man, sentenced him to 15 years in prison and ordered probation for treatment.
The court said, "Although he had a history of mental illness such as schizophrenia in the past, it seems that he was not in a state of loss of mind, such as stating in detail the circumstances of the crime in the police investigation. There is a reason,” he judged.
In December 2020, Mr. A is charged with stabbing his mother several times with a knife to death when his mother criticized him for smoking in an apartment in Seo-gu, Daejeon, in December 2020.
Mr. A, who entered a prestigious university in 2010, was immersed in cigarettes and games after entering the school, worrying about his career path and graduating after 10 years.
After that, he lived with his mother in an apartment in Daejeon and spent time in the room immersed in computer and cell phone games and smoking.
Immediately after the crime, he drove his mother's car around the outskirts of Daejeon and headed for Seoul, jumped off the Cheonggyecheon Bridge and was rescued at 119.
The first trial court sentenced him to 12 years in prison, saying, "Mr. A suffered from schizophrenia and confessed to the crime to the 119 paramedics, but he committed an unacceptable anti-social and anti-humanity crime, and severe punishment is inevitable."
The court of appeals said, "It is possible that the crime was triggered by symptoms and distortions of delusional thinking, and it is judged that there is some mental and physical weakness."
He also explained the reason for the sentencing, saying, "I admit to the crime and reflect on it, but the seriousness of the result, the brutality of the crime method, etc., even if schizophrenia etc. had an impact on the case, the original sentence seems light."