▲ Suwon District Court
A man in his 40s who strangled his common-law partner to death after suspecting her of infidelity has been given a heavy sentence again in his appellate trial.
According to legal circles on Friday, July 10, the Suwon High Court Criminal Division 3 (Presiding Judges Jo Hyo-jeong, Ko Seok-beom, and Choi Ji-won) dismissed the appeals from both sides and upheld the 12-year prison sentence handed down in the first trial for the man, identified as A, who was charged with murder.
The court also maintained the order for him to wear an electronic tracking device (ankle monitor) for 10 years.
A was indicted on charges of strangling B, a woman in her 40s with whom he was in a common-law relationship, to death at their home in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, on August 14 of last year.
Investigations revealed that he committed the crime in a fit of rage after checking B's mobile phone on the day of the incident and discovering that she had been exchanging messages with another man.
In the first trial, the court stated, "A crime that takes a human life cannot be justified under any circumstances, but we have taken into account that the defendant turned himself in after the crime and that it was not a premeditated murder," and sentenced him to 12 years in prison.
The appellate court also stated the reason for the dismissal, saying, "We do not find the sentence from the lower court to be unfairly heavy or light," and added, "The lower court's decision to order the attachment of an electronic device for 10 years is also appropriate."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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