April 19 of last year. A woman in her 60s who committed murder out of vengeance after being humiliated by her ex-husband was sentenced to a heavy prison term in the appeals trial as well. At the time, the Busan High Court Changwon Branch Criminal Division 2 (Chief Judge Heo Yang-yun) dismissed the defendant's appeal and upheld the 17-year prison sentence handed down in the original trial for Ms. A, who had been indicted on murder charges.
Ms. A was indicted for murdering her ex-husband Mr. B (in his 60s) at a farm in Gimhae, Gyeongsangnam-do in June 2024. Ms. A had been married to Mr. B for about 10 years before they divorced in 2003. At the time, Ms. A reportedly separated because she believed her husband was having an affair.
Even after the divorce, Ms. A continued to visit Mr. B's house while taking care of family matters. In June 2023, she had a major argument with Mr. B after learning that he was still in contact with the woman with whom he had had the affair that caused their divorce. When Ms. A continued to express her anger for about a month afterward, Mr. B, unable to endure it any longer, tied her to an excavator at his farm.
Having had her pride shattered while being tied to the excavator for about an hour, Ms. A resolved to kill Mr. B. For nearly a year afterward, Ms. A burned with hatred and reportedly prepared for the crime by going to the gym to build up her strength. On the day she decided to commit the murder, she sent a message to an acquaintance saying, "I think I need to end this, I have to return the humiliation I received," and went to Mr. B's farm.
◇ "You should suffer too" — Revenge stained with blood = On the day of the incident, Ms. A was drinking with Mr. B in a container at the farm when she brought up the excavator incident and demanded that Mr. B also have his body tied up in the same way. Exhausted by Ms. A's continued demands, Mr. B said, "Do whatever you want," and Ms. A bound Mr. B's hands with a compression bandage. When Mr. B asked her to untie his hands, Ms. A refused, saying, "Feel the pain," and a physical altercation broke out in the process. Fearing she would be attacked if she released his hands, Ms. A ultimately killed Mr. B with a tool that was nearby.
It was reported that Ms. A had been sentenced to 6 months in prison suspended for 1 year for a drug crime, with the sentence confirmed this past April, and that she committed this crime again during her probation period.
The first trial court sentenced her to 17 years in prison, stating, "The sentence was determined considering that the defendant was not forgiven by the bereaved family including her children, that she committed this crime during the probation period for drug trafficking, and that her mental and physical health conditions are poor."
Ms. A appealed the first trial verdict on the grounds that the sentence was too heavy, but the appellate court dismissed the appeal, stating that the sentence handed down in the original trial did not exceed a reasonable scope.
150,000 criminals roaming the streets? My case swallowed by a political special prosecution — the shocking reality of collapsed public safety!
