Jeong Jae-hwan, 24, who has been put on trial on charges including murder for brutally killing a friend while intoxicated, requested a psychological evaluation during his first court hearing.
The 12th Criminal Division of the Daegu District Court (Presiding Judge Jeong Han-geun) held the first trial for Jeong Jae-hwan, 24, who was detained and indicted on charges of stabbing his friend dozens of times with a weapon while drunk.
Dressed in a khaki prison uniform throughout the seven-minute trial, Jeong kept his hands neatly placed on his legs and his head bowed down, refusing to lift his face even once.
The defense counsel stated, "Even looking just at the indictment, the defendant's crime is not of a typical pattern and shows many abnormal aspects," adding, "Regarding the motive for the crime revealed by the prosecution, it states that he 'attacked for an unknown reason,' leaving the background of the crime unclear."
The defense further emphasized, "Since his behavior of wandering outside in a state of extreme intoxication after the crime was also an abnormal situation, we request an evaluation of the defendant's mental state."
The court responded that it would decide later whether to conduct a separate psychological evaluation, taking into account future trial proceedings and based on the results of the evaluation previously requested by investigative authorities.
The court also stated, "The victim's side has submitted petitions calling for strict punishment amounting to 4,000 pages," and asked, "Please refrain from submitting additional petitions for the smooth progress of the trial."
It was decided that the victim's legal representative would submit an opinion in writing, and the bereaved family would make a statement at the next trial.
Jeong was sent to trial on charges of stabbing a friend dozens of times and killing him for an unknown reason while drinking with friends, including the victim, at his home in Hayang-eup, Gyeongsan, Gyeongsangbuk-do, at around 3:40 a.m. on July 4.
He was also indicted on charges of assault for attacking another friend who was present at the scene that day.
Jeong was additionally indicted on assault charges for striking the deceased victim once in the face on May 16 after the victim tried to break up a fight between friends, telling them to "let it go all the way."
Investigative authorities also applied theft charges against Jeong for stealing two banana-flavored milk drinks (valued at 3,600 won) from a nearby convenience store after committing the crime.
The next trial is scheduled for 10:40 a.m. on September 11.
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