Man in His 30s Sentenced to 18 Years for Brutal Murder of Mother, Claiming He Thought "God Would Resurrect Her"

▲ A man in his 30s accused of murdering his mother attends a warrant review hearing

A man in his 30s who brutally murdered his sleeping mother and claimed he thought "God would resurrect her" has been sentenced to a heavy prison term.

The Cheongju District Court Criminal Division 11 (Presiding Judge Kang Seong-hun) sentenced the defendant, who was indicted on charges of parricide, to 18 years in prison and ordered five years of probationary supervision today (July 8).

The defendant is accused of murdering his mother, a woman in her 60s, at their home in Goesan-gun on December 2 of last year at 1:30 p.m. by striking her dozens of times with a hammer and a weapon while she was sleeping.

During the investigation, the defendant stated, "The God in my heart broke a promise not to trigger my trauma, so I killed my mother to break free from God," adding, "I believed God would protect my mother, and even if she died, I thought He would bring her back to life."

However, during the trial, the defendant suddenly changed his statement, claiming, "I came down to Goesan because I didn't want to hear my mother's nagging, but she followed me there and kept nagging, which led to the crime."

The defendant, who resided in Gyeonggi-do, had reportedly been traveling between his home and Goesan for the past three years to prepare for rural life with his family.

The court did not accept the defendant's courtroom testimony and determined that schizophrenia had influenced the crime.

Presiding Judge Kang stated, "The defendant committed the crime while his decision-making ability was impaired due to schizophrenia, but there do not appear to be any particularly extenuating circumstances in the motive for the crime as stated by the defendant."

The judge added, "The defendant repeatedly requested a suspension of his detention during the trial, complaining about the hardships of prison life, which is an unfavorable factor that suggests a lack of reflection on his wrongdoing. However, we have considered as favorable factors that the defendant committed the crime without being aware of his illness, that he appears to have developed the illness while living as a social recluse after repeated failures in social life due to conditions such as atopic dermatitis, and that his family has petitioned for leniency."

(Photo: Yonhap News)

※