Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murdering Older Brother After Drugging Him with Zolpidem

A man in his 40s who successively murdered his older brother and father to obtain their inheritances has been sentenced to life imprisonment in the first trial for the murder of his older brother.

Today (August 11), the Busan District Court sentenced the defendant, identified as A, to life imprisonment on charges including robbery-murder and violations of the Narcotics Control Act.

A is accused of feeding his older brother a drink laced with zolpidem at the brother's home in Seoul in December 2024 to render him unconscious, and then forcibly stuffing a baked egg into his mouth to cause death by suffocation.

During the early stages of the investigation, A admitted to killing his older brother, but later denied the charges during the trial, claiming, "There is a possibility that the brother choked on an egg while eating it himself."

However, the court found him guilty based on evidence showing that a lethal dose of zolpidem was detected in the victim's body despite the brother having no history of being prescribed or taking zolpidem, as well as circumstances indicating that A had searched for zolpidem and prepared the eggs in advance.

Furthermore, investigations revealed that after his brother died, A demanded that his father—who became the inheritor—renounce his inheritance rights. When the father refused, A stabbed and killed his father in his 60s 14 times with a weapon in March of last year.

Previously, A was indicted first on charges of murdering his father and was sentenced to 27 years in prison in the first trial for that case.

The court stated the reasoning for its sentencing: "This was a premeditated and meticulous crime that used family members as tools, making the nature of the offense extremely grave. However, considering the defendant's age, environment, and upbringing, it is difficult to conclude that there is absolutely no room for rehabilitation, and therefore life imprisonment is sentenced instead of the death penalty."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.