▲ Court
A shaman who extorted money from a victim she had psychologically manipulated, murdered her, and abandoned her body has been handed a heavy sentence again in an appellate trial.
The Gwangju High Court Criminal Division 2 (Presiding Judge Hwang Jin-hee) dismissed the appeal filed by the defendant on July 14 and upheld the life sentence handed down in the first trial for Kim (in her 50s), who was charged with robbery-murder and abandonment of a corpse.
The court also upheld the original sentences of 25 to 27 years in prison for two men in their 50s, including one surnamed Lee, who participated in the crime.
Kim and the others are accused of beating and murdering victim A (in her 50s) on May 15 of last year after threatening her to hand over money.
Investigations revealed that Kim, who claimed to have shamanic powers, had psychologically dominated both victim A and the men who participated in the crime.
Kim and the others committed these acts while forcing victim A into a vehicle and driving around the city of Mokpo, South Jeolla Province. After she died, they hid her body in the back seat of the vehicle and left it abandoned in an empty lot for approximately three months.
Before she was murdered, victim A had handed money to Kim multiple times over several years, in amounts of 500,000 won or 1.5 million won.
Investigations showed that when the victim could no longer provide money, Kim began assaulting her and coerced Lee and the others into participating in the crime.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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