"Why Don't You Take My Side?" 60-Year-Old Who Murdered 90-Year-Old Neighbor Gets 18 Years in Prison in Appeal

A woman in her 60s who murdered her 90-year-old neighbor out of anger that the victim did not take her side in a dispute with another neighbor has been sentenced to a heavy prison term in her appellate trial.

According to the legal community on July 30, the 2nd Criminal Division of the Suwon High Court (Presiding Judge Kim Kun-woo) overturned the original rulings and sentenced the defendant, A, to 18 years in prison on charges of murder, assault, and insult.

The court also ordered five years of probation following the completion of her prison sentence.

The appellate court consolidated and reviewed the murder case—for which she was sentenced to 18 years in the first trial—along with separate cases for assault and insult that had previously resulted in prison terms, before reaching this verdict.

Defendant A was indicted for visiting the home of 90-year-old neighbor B in Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, on May 1 of last year, pushing B to the ground, repeatedly slamming her head against the floor, and strangling her to death.

Investigations revealed that at the time, A fled the scene immediately without calling 119 or taking any measures to rescue B after confirming that B had lost consciousness.

It was found that A committed the crime in a fit of rage after suspecting that B constantly badmouthed her, and becoming furious when B failed to side with her during an argument with another neighbor.

During the trial, A argued that her sentence should be mitigated under the Criminal Act because she contacted the police herself and surrendered immediately after the crime.

However, both the first and second-instance courts rejected this claim.

The appellate court stated, "Although the defendant voluntarily appeared at the police station, she initially minimized her crime by claiming she 'merely pushed' the victim or 'did not remember,' and only admitted to strangling her after investigators presented autopsy results and pressed her."

The court added, "This merely amounted to stating facts in response to questions by investigative authorities rather than voluntarily disclosing all elements constituting the crime of murder, and therefore does not qualify as a legal surrender."

Explaining the sentencing rationale, the court stated, "The crime carries an extremely heavy responsibility as it violated life, the most precious value protected by the state and society, and she has not been forgiven by the victim's bereaved family. However, we took into account that she largely admitted to the facts and has no prior criminal records exceeding a suspended prison sentence."

Meanwhile, the prosecutors' request for a location-tracking electronic device (electronic anklet) attachment order based on the risk of reoffending was dismissed, upholding the lower court's decision.

Explaining the reason for the dismissal, the court stated, "Although defendant A has a past record of attempted murder from 2004, that crime was committed against her ex-husband who subjected her to domestic violence for a long period, and it is difficult to view it as an expression of violence directed at random targets."

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