"The Weapon Was Just a Symbol": Man Stabs Wife 88 Times and Makes Absurd Claim in Court

A man in his 70s convicted of murdering his wife has sparked public outrage by making an absurd claim during his appellate trial.

He argued that he brought the weapon merely as a "symbolic object" representing the severing of their marital relationship with a knife, and that he did not prepare it for the crime.

The 75-year-old, identified as A, was indicted on charges of murdering his wife with a weapon at their daughter's home in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, in September of last year.

The day before the incident, the couple had argued over issues including the wife bringing a second-hand plastic drawer home, after which the wife went to their daughter's house.

The next day, A packed a weapon from home, headed to the daughter's house where his wife was staying, and attacked her with it.

Investigations showed that A slashed and stabbed his wife approximately 88 times.

Immediately after the crime, A called 119 himself to report that he had "killed someone," and was reported to have stated during police questioning that he "had been thinking about killing her."

However, once the trial began, A claimed that it was an impulsive crime committed due to a momentary explosion of emotion.

The first-instance court ruled it a "premeditated murder" based on the fact that he had brought the weapon with him in advance and his statements to the police, sentencing him to 18 years in prison and ordering five years of probation following the completion of his sentence.

A appealed the verdict, and during the appellate trial, he made the following claim regarding why he brought the weapon in advance:

"I merely brought it as a symbol meaning to cut off our marital relationship with a knife, not as a tool prepared for a crime." He also argued that the weapon could not be regarded as an instrument of crime, claiming, "I could have prepared another tool that would more certainly guarantee death, but I did not."

The appellate court rejected the defendant's claims, stating, "It is difficult to understand the explanation that it was brought as a symbol of their marital relationship," and emphasizing that it was clear the weapon brought in advance was used in the crime.

The court also pointed out that A murdered his precious victim inside the home of his children and their family, yet continues to show an attitude of shifting the responsibility for the crime onto the victim.

In the end, the appellate court upheld the original sentence of 18 years in prison.

(Reported by Sim Yeong-gu | Video by Na Hong-hee | Graphics by Lee Jung-ju | Produced by SBS Digital News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.