A man in his 50s who was arrested on charges of beating his cohabitant to death has been cleared of the charges in court two years after the incident.

The 1st Criminal Division of the Jeonju District Court's Jeongeup Branch (Presiding Judge Jung Young-ha) announced on the 15th that it had acquitted a 52-year-old man identified as A, who had been indicted on charges of assault resulting in death.

According to the indictment, the incident took place on May 23, 2024, at around 10:17 PM at a home in Jeongeup, Jeollabuk-do, shared by A and his 50-year-old cohabitant, B.

At the time, B collapsed in the bathroom for unknown reasons and sustained severe head injuries. Failing to receive timely treatment, she died about a month later on June 18 of that year due to cerebral edema.

At first glance, the incident appeared to have no causal relationship with A.

This is when a new figure entered the picture.

C, B's mother who was inside the house at the time of the incident, stated, "My daughter came out of the room and said, 'A hit me,'" adding, "Right after that, my daughter was found lying face down and naked in the bathroom, unable to speak."

Bolstered by the testimony of the sole witness, the investigation gained rapid momentum, and A was brought to trial on charges of beating his cohabitant to death.

However, a twist occurred.

The court reconstructed the day of the incident minute by minute and concluded that the crime stated in the indictment itself was impossible.

A and B had seven phone conversations between 11:09 PM and 11:44 PM that night. This contradicted C's statement that B had "collapsed and became unable to speak" at 10:17 PM.

Furthermore, it was revealed that all these calls took place while A was outside, as he had left the house at 10:53 PM on the day of the incident and returned at 12:02 AM the following day.

This effectively provided an alibi that shattered the investigative agency's conclusion pointing to A as the perpetrator.

A consistently stated, "I found B, who drank alcohol every day, collapsed in the bathroom the next morning, but I thought it was due to a hangover from heavy drinking."

The court explained, "The victim's mother, C, was diagnosed with unspecified Alzheimer's disease (dementia) in 2022 and lacks a clear concept of time," adding, "Even if C's testimony were considered credible, that testimony alone is not enough to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant assaulted the victim."

The court ruled, "The mere fact that there are suspicious aspects in the defendant's subsequent actions, such as reporting to 119 belatedly after discovering the collapsed victim, cannot be the basis for determining the fact of assault," and concluded, "Since the facts charged in this case fall under a case where there is no proof of a criminal act, we render a not-guilty verdict."

(Photo: Yonhap News)