Man who killed 89-year-old neighbor to avoid theft report gets 20 years

A man in his late 30s who killed an elderly neighbor to prevent him from calling police after catching him stealing 50,000 won ($33) has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

The Supreme Court's Third Division, presided over by Justice Noh Gyeong-pil, on Thursday upheld the lower court's ruling sentencing Yun, 38, to 20 years in prison and 10 years of electronic ankle monitoring. Yun had been indicted on charges including robbery-murder, theft, fraud and violations of the Specialized Credit Finance Business Act.

According to the ruling, Yun stole a 50,000-won bill from the wallet of his neighbor, identified only as A, who was 89 at the time of death, while the two were playing go-stop, a Korean card game, at A's home in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province on March 2 last year. Yun's mother was also present. He seized the opportunity when A was momentarily distracted while tidying a drawer.

When A noticed the theft and tried to call 112, the police emergency line, Yun returned the money after a confrontation.

But when A continued to insist on reporting the incident to police, Yun flew into a rage, threw a chair and then beat A repeatedly across the head, chest and body with a broken chair leg.

A was rushed to a hospital but died that afternoon. Taking advantage of the moment A collapsed, Yun fled the scene with A's wallet, which contained cash and a transit card.

Yun also faced separate charges stemming from an earlier incident in November 2024, when he stole A's debit card during another go-stop session and made 849,000 won in unauthorized purchases at a nightclub and other establishments.

The first-instance court sentenced Yun to 30 years in prison and 10 years of ankle monitoring, noting that he had previously assaulted A and received a prison sentence for it, had a lengthy criminal record including theft and sexual violence, and had reoffended within just one year of his release.

The appellate court reduced the sentence to 20 years, citing mitigating factors: Yun had called 112 himself about two hours after the attack, the killing appeared to have been an impulsive act committed in a moment of uncontrolled rage during an argument, and he had an intellectual disability.

However, the ankle monitoring order was kept in place for 10 years, given his weak sense of legal compliance.

The Supreme Court dismissed Yun's final appeal, saying the lower court had committed no legal error and that the 20-year sentence could not be considered grossly unjust.