A son-in-law who murdered his father-in-law after being told to move out has been sentenced to a heavy prison term in the first trial.

On October 16, the 27th Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Woo In-sung) sentenced a man in his 40s, identified as A, to 20 years in prison on charges including patricide.

The court found A guilty of strangling his father-in-law and slamming his head against a bed, resulting in his death, on the second floor of a house in Sangdo-dong, Dongjak-gu, on the morning of April 24.

Taking into account the level of fractures and bleeding discovered on the victim's body, the court ruled that A had the intent to kill.

The court also based its decision on the fact that, contrary to A's claim that he had no intent to kill, he did not take ordinary measures such as attempting CPR or calling 119 after the crime.

However, the court concluded that the murder was not premeditated, noting that A had not prepared to dispose of the body in advance.

Regarding the sentencing, the court reprimanded him, stating, "Instead of feeling remorse after confirming the victim's death, the defendant engaged in deeply shameless behavior, such as taking the victim's credit card to withdraw money to pay off debts and use for living expenses."

Investigations revealed that A committed the crime after being asked to move out because he had unauthorizedly withdrawn and used cash from the bank account of his father-in-law, with whom he lived in the same house.

The father-in-law had filed an eviction lawsuit against A's family, who were living off him on the first floor of the house, and the court had ordered them to vacate the premises by June of this year.

(Photo: Yonhap News)