93-year-old woman killed at Seongnam apartment

Victim refused to back suspect in dispute with another neighbor

A court ruling. [Herald DB]
A court ruling. [Herald DB]

The Supreme Court has upheld an 18-year prison sentence for a woman in her 60s convicted of killing her 93-year-old neighbor after the elderly woman refused to take her side in a dispute with another resident.

The Supreme Court's Third Division, presided over by Justice Lee Suk-yeon, confirmed the lower court's 18-year sentence on Aug. 13 for the woman, identified only as A, on charges of murder, insult and assault.

A was indicted for killing her neighbor, a 93-year-old woman identified as B, at an apartment complex in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, in May last year.

According to facts established by the court, A had harbored ill feelings toward B for years, believing B had been stalking her and spreading malicious rumors about her. On the day of the incident, A brought B along when she went to confront another resident, identified as C, over what she claimed were defamatory remarks. While arguing with C, A demanded that B back up her account. When B said "that's not true" and refused to take her side, A flew into a rage.

About an hour later, A followed B into her home as B was returning. At the front entrance, A shoved B to the ground with both hands and beat her. After confirming B was still breathing, A launched a further attack that proved fatal. The cause of death was determined to be bleeding and asphyxiation from multiple injuries to the head and neck.

During the investigation, A was found to have told prosecutors she "wanted to kill" B because she "got worked up while drunk, old memories came back, and the victim denied the rumors," and that "in the moment of the assault, I had the urge to kill her." After the attack, A confirmed B was unconscious but left the scene immediately without calling emergency services or attempting to help.

A trial court sentenced A to 18 years in October last year on the murder charge alone. An appeals court, which consolidated the separate assault and insult charges into the same proceedings, found A guilty on all three counts and upheld the 18-year term. A had five prior criminal convictions, including a suspended sentence of two years and six months for attempted murder. The court cited the brutal nature of the attack on an elderly victim and A's criminal history in finding a risk of reoffending.

The Supreme Court found no fault with the lower court's ruling. "Considering various circumstances — including the defendant's age, conduct, environment, relationship with the victims, the motive, means and outcome of the crime, and post-offense behavior — it cannot be said that the lower court's sentence of 18 years was grossly unreasonable," the court said.


yg@heraldcorp.com