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A man in his 70s who killed his wife of about 40 years with a weapon after suspecting he was stealing money from his bank account was sentenced to 20 years in prison. 



On the 29th, the 7th Criminal Division of the Seoul High Court (Chief Judge Lee Kyu-hong, Jo Kwang-guk, and Lee Ji-young) sentenced Mr. A (72), who was recently charged with murder, to 20 years in prison, just like the lower court.



From the beginning of this year, Mr. A assaulted Mr. B, obsessed with the delusion that his spouse, Mr. B, took money from his bank account. 



Mr. B, who could not stand it, ran away to his daughter's house in early July. 



After that, when Mr. B was reported to the police, Mr. A, who was angry, contacted Mr. B, saying, "I was wrong, come back."



As a result of the police investigation, Mr. B worked as a caregiver and supported Mr. A, who had been unemployed for 10 years, and was known to have withdrawn some of the money deposited in Mr. A's bank account and used it for management expenses.



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Mr. A argued that the murder was not intentional in the first trial, but the court did not accept it, citing the fact that Mr. A had claimed to the effect of 'killing his wife and trying to kill himself' in police and prosecution investigations. 



The judge said, "Even if there is an aspect of Mr. B committing the crime based on the delusion that he was stealing money from his bank account, it is reasonable to see that this is due to a misunderstanding of where the money is used rather than due to a mental illness such as delusion." The side's claim of mental and physical weakness was also not accepted.



"Mr. B, who had been suffering from domestic violence from Mr. A even before this incident, tragically ended his life feeling extreme pain and fear in a defenseless state," he said. Even considering Mr. A's advanced age, severe punishment is inevitable." 



Mr. A and the prosecution each appealed, arguing that the sentencing was unfair, but the second trial court dismissed all appeals and maintained the lower court. 



(Photo = Courtesy of Seoul High Court, Yonhap News)