A man in his late 20s who stabbed a neighbor to death over a noise dispute told a court he delivered a final stab to her throat because she was crying out in pain. The court sentenced him to 25 years in prison — heavier than the prosecution's recommended term — citing the brutality of the attack and his lack of remorse.
The 11th Criminal Division of the Daegu District Court, presided over by Chief Judge Lee Young-cheol, handed down the 25-year sentence to the defendant, identified only as A, 28, on Wednesday following a citizen jury trial in which jurors found him guilty of murder.
A was indicted on charges of stabbing his upstairs neighbor, a woman in her 50s identified only as B, more than 40 times with a knife inside an elevator at an apartment building in Pyeong-ri-dong, Seo-gu, Daegu, at around 10:40 a.m. on May 9.
On the day of the attack, A woke up to a loud bang and suspected B's household was responsible for the noise. He grabbed a knife and went out, and when he encountered B as she stepped off the elevator, he attacked her. B was rushed to a hospital but died about an hour later from hypovolemic shock caused by severe blood loss.
Testifying in court, A said he believed B had been deliberately making noise to torment him. "At the end, I stabbed her in the throat one more time because she was crying out in pain," he said.
A's defense played video footage of noise incidents and argued that he had suffered years of mental anguish caused by B's family. He also told the court he had spent 12.7 million won ($9,590) installing a soundproof booth in his unit and had taken to wearing noise-canceling earphones at home.
B's daughter, however, testified that her family had taken great care to minimize noise — wearing slippers indoors and laying down anti-noise mats — and had never deliberately disturbed anyone. She called for a severe sentence.
The apartment building had in fact experienced noise and vibration problems caused by faulty plumbing, and pressure tank replacement work had been carried out as a result. A notice about the work had been posted in the elevator. The court said it could not conclude that all the noise A complained of had been caused by B's family.
A also argued diminished mental capacity, but a psychiatric evaluation by a specialist found no abnormality. Based on that assessment, the court determined there were insufficient grounds to conclude A had suffered from a delusional disorder of a psychotic level.
Prosecutors had sought a 20-year sentence, but five of the seven jurors recommended 30 years and the remaining two recommended 25 years. The jury noted that A showed no remorse and sought to shift blame for the crime onto the victim's family.
The court said A himself had not been certain whether the noise was actually caused by B's family. "Stabbing the neck, lungs and internal organs dozens of times, combined with his unrepentant attitude, constitutes aggravating circumstances," the court said in explaining the sentence.
bbo@heraldcorp.com
