Couple Sentenced to Prison for Brutally Abusing and Neglecting Younger Brother to Death Under Guise of 'Healing Through Prayer'

▲ Chuncheon District Court Wonju Branch

A couple who systematically abused their younger brother, who suffered from severe mental disabilities, for years and left him untreated in a critical condition until he died has been sentenced to prison terms.

On October 29, the 1st Criminal Division of the Chuncheon District Court Wonju Branch (Presiding Judge Kim Ji-hyun) sentenced A, a man in his 70s, to 10 years in prison in a sentencing trial for charges including murder and violations of the Welfare of Persons with Disabilities Act.

B, a person in their 50s and the common-law spouse of A who was jointly indicted on murder charges, was sentenced to 4 years in prison and taken into custody in the courtroom.

According to the indictment, A repeatedly assaulted the victim from January 2024 to August 2025 under the pretext of "disciplining evil spirits through punishment," and in February of last year, inflicted an injury that tore the victim's auricle during an assault.

In September of last year, A kicked the victim in the abdomen for about 20 minutes while B participated in the assault by holding the victim to prevent escape.

Afterward, the victim showed critical symptoms such as abdominal pain and vomiting, but the defendants prevented the victim from receiving hospital treatment for more than 24 hours, claiming they would heal the victim through prayer. The victim ultimately died of acute peritonitis caused by a perforation.

The prosecution (then the public prosecutor's office), which took over the case from the police under charges of fatal abuse, applied murder charges after concluding through supplementary investigations—such as a search and seizure of the residence, digital forensics, and forensic appraisals—that the defendants left the victim unattended despite fully recognizing the possibility of death.

The defendants denied any intent to commit murder in court.

The prosecutor had demanded 24 years in prison for A and 10 years for B, but the court ruled that the murder charge was not proven and instead convicted them of manslaughter resulting from physical injury, sentencing them to 10 years and 4 years in prison, respectively.

(Photo: Yonhap News)

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