Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murdering Older Brother and Father for Inheritance After Forcing Zolpidem and Boiled Eggs Down His Throat

A man in his 40s who successively murdered his older brother and father to secure property inheritance has been sentenced to life in 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 violation 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 roasted eggs into his mouth to cause death by asphyxiation.

Initially, during the investigation, A admitted to killing his older brother, but during the trial, he denied the charges, claiming that "there is a possibility that the brother choked on eggs while eating them by himself."

However, the court found him guilty based on the facts that the older brother had no record of being prescribed or taking Zolpidem yet a lethal dose of the drug was detected in his body, and 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 inherited the property rights—renounce them. When the father refused, A stabbed him 14 times with a weapon and killed him in March of last year.

Previously, A was indicted first for the murder of 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: "The nature of the crime is extremely grave as it was a premeditated and meticulous act using family members as tools. However, considering the defendant's age, environment, and upbringing, it is difficult to conclude that there is absolutely no room for rehabilitation, thus sentencing him to life imprisonment instead of the death penalty."

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