Man in His 70s Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Brutally Murdering Older Brother Over Property Dispute

A man in his 70s has received a heavy prison sentence for murdering his older brother with a weapon during an argument over property.

The Changwon District Court Criminal Division 2 (Presiding Judge Kim Sung-hwan) sentenced the man, identified as A, to 20 years in prison on July 9. He had been indicted on charges of murder.

A was arrested and indicted for murdering his older brother, B, also in his 70s, with a weapon at a house in Hwamok-dong, Gimhae, Gyeongsangnam-do, in January.

Investigations revealed that A had demanded 40 million won from B, expecting compensation money from land left behind by their late father. When the demand was refused, a dispute ensued, leading to the crime.

It was determined that B had inherited the land in Gimhae from their father and was set to receive a significant amount of compensation from the road construction authorities for the purchase of the land.

During the trial, A argued that he had no intention of killing B and claimed that his actions were in self-defense against B's assault.

The court rejected this argument, citing A's previous criminal record—a 6-month prison sentence suspended for 2 years in 2015 for threatening an apartment security guard with a weapon—and the fact that he had struck B dozens of times with the weapon.

The court explained, "B pleaded for his life just before he died, but A took no action. Immediately after the crime, A focused on destroying evidence, such as wiping bloodstains off the weapon." The court added, "A has not been forgiven by the victim's bereaved family and is not showing any signs of sincere remorse."

The court further stated, "It is appropriate to isolate him from society for a long period to reflect and atone for his crime in accordance with the gravity of his actions," while noting that "the fact that he turned himself in to investigative authorities the day after the crime was considered as a mitigating factor."

Upon hearing the heavy sentence, A appeared to be in shock, collapsing and screaming before being led out of the courtroom by court officials.

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