Teenager Who Tried to Kill Mother and Two Daughters Sentenced to Up to 10 Years

A teenager who attempted to murder a mother and her two daughters at an apartment in Wonju, Gangwon Province, last February has been sentenced to a maximum of 10 years in prison.

Today, the 1st Criminal Division of the Chuncheon District Court's Wonju Branch (Presiding Judge Kim Ji-hyun) sentenced the 16-year-old defendant, surnamed A, to 10 years in prison with a maximum term and 7 years with a minimum term during the sentencing hearing for charges including attempted murder, special trespassing, and the production of sexual exploitation materials under the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse.

Along with the prison sentence, the court ordered A to complete 40 hours of a sexual violence treatment program, imposed a 7-year employment restriction at child and youth welfare institutions, and placed him on probation for 5 years.

The prosecution's request for a location-tracking electronic device (electronic anklet) attachment order was dismissed.

The court pointed out, "The defendant meticulously and premeditatedly planned the crime by searching for ways to hire a hitman in advance, scouting for weapons, deceiving the victim, figuring out the common entrance password and the father's absence time, and lurking for 35 minutes."

It further rebuked, "During the prosecution investigation, he stated, 'Killing one person or three people is the same, as long as I kill them quickly and do not get caught,' showing no awareness of the value of life or a sincere attitude of remorse."

The court explained the reasoning for the sentencing by stating, "However, as a 15-year-old minor, he still has room to improve his faults and behavioral traits, his intelligence quotient was assessed as borderline according to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's clinical psychological evaluation, and he has no prior record of juvenile protection dispositions or criminal punishment, which were considered as favorable factors."

A was sent to trial on charges of attempting to murder a woman in her 40s, surnamed B, and her teenage daughters, the eldest C and the younger D, by swinging a pre-prepared weapon at an apartment in Danggu-dong, Wonju, at 9:12 AM on February 5.

Due to A's attack, B suffered severe injuries to her neck, while daughters C and D sustained wounds on their right arms and shoulders.

Police who rushed to the scene following a neighbor's report immediately after the crime apprehended A, who was hiding in a flowerbed near the apartment.

It was found that A entered the building by punching in the apartment's common entrance password, which he already knew, waited in front of the victims' apartment door, and forced his way inside when B stepped out.

In addition, in November of last year and January of this year, while on video calls with a victim, he demanded sexual acts under the pretext of penalties, secretly recorded the video calls, and even produced sexually exploitative materials.

Investigations revealed that A committed the crime after deciding to kill the victims because they interfered with his private life.

Digital forensics conducted on A's mobile phone uncovered signs of a premeditated crime, including search history for "contract killing" and attempts to purchase weapons to be used in the crime.

The prosecution deemed A's crime as grave enough to warrant the death penalty or life imprisonment, and therefore sought a 20-year prison sentence, the maximum statutory term of fixed-term imprisonment that can be imposed on a juvenile under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Specific Violent Crimes.

However, the court determined that an indeterminate sentence, which divides the term into maximum and minimum limits, was appropriate.

When sentencing a juvenile who has committed a specific violent crime to an indeterminate sentence, a maximum of 15 years and a minimum of 7 years can be imposed, but the court handed down a sentence of 10 years with a maximum term and 7 years with a minimum term.

Meanwhile, following the incident, the victims' family filed a national petition on the National Assembly website demanding tougher sentencing standards for violent crimes committed by minors.

The victims' family asserted, "If a perpetrator's sentence is drastically reduced simply because they are a minor, it will only inflict further violence on the victims and their families," adding, "Clear standards and effective punishment are needed for violent crimes committed by juvenile delinquents and minors."

The petition has surpassed 50,000 signatories and has been referred to the Legislation and Judiciary Committee.
 
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.