A court sentenced a man in his 60s to life in prison for raping and killing a restaurant owner for ignoring him.
Today (22nd), the 22nd Criminal Division of the Cheongju Court (Chief Judge Yoon Joong-ryeol) sentenced A (61) to life imprisonment for violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes (Rape, etc. Murder).
Mr. A is accused of running away after raping and killing a woman in her 80s who was working at a restaurant in Cheongju on August 23.
At the time, the police, who were dispatched after receiving a report from a bystander, arrived at the scene, but the restaurant owner was already dead.
Afterwards, the police launched an investigation based on CCTV, etc., and caught Mr. A at Jochiwon Station in Sejong City one day after the incident.
As a result of the investigation, it was revealed that Mr. A, who visited the restaurant on the day of the crime, committed the crime in anger because the owner of the restaurant responded in a disrespectful tone.
In court, Mr. A admitted to the murder charge, but denied the crime, such as sexual assault, saying, "I was drunk at the time and lost most of his memory."
However, the judge did not accept Mr. A's claim, saying, "Considering that the accused's DNA was detected on the victim's clothing, it is sufficient to conclude that he committed a sex crime."
"The victim passed away in pain and fear," he said.
(Photo = Yonhap News)