Man who killed girlfriend, dumped body gets life sentence upheld on appeal

A man in his 20s sentenced to life in prison for killing his girlfriend, disposing of her body and attempting to steal her money has had that sentence upheld on appeal.

The first criminal division of the Suwon High Court, presided over by Chief Judge Shin Hyeon-il, dismissed the appeal filed by the defendant, identified only as A, on Wednesday and upheld the original ruling. A had been indicted on charges of robbery-murder and other offenses.

The trial court had sentenced A to life in prison and ordered him to wear an electronic monitoring ankle bracelet for 20 years.

A was indicted on charges of killing his girlfriend at around 9:40 p.m. on Dec. 28 last year in a residential parking lot in Danwon-gu, Ansan, and dumping her body near a highway in Pocheon.

A attempted to withdraw tens of millions of won from the victim's bank account using her mobile phone immediately after the crime but failed.

During the trial, A's defense argued that the crime was not premeditated and that there was no intent to commit robbery, noting that the scene was well-lit and frequented by residents.

Both the trial court and the appeals court rejected that argument.

The appeals court said the back seat of the vehicle where the killing took place had its doors closed, meaning sound would not have carried outside, and that the interior of the public parking lot was dark due to a lack of lighting — conditions the court said A would have judged suitable for the crime.

The court added that A committed the crime just five days after learning the balance in the victim's bank account, and that he had searched online for methods of killing and locations to dispose of a body.

"Given the circumstances — including that he made no attempt to help the victim after the crime and instead tried to transfer money using her phone — it is determined that he killed her in order to steal her money," the court said.

The court said A had no prior convictions and did not actually obtain any financial gain from the crime, but that those factors did not justify reducing the sentence below life imprisonment, the statutory minimum for robbery-murder.

Prosecutors had asked the court to maintain the original sentence during the appeals proceedings.

At the final hearing of the appeal on Aug. 28, prosecutors called on the court to dismiss A's appeal.

"This was a planned and deliberate crime that caused serious loss of life, and as determined at trial, the defendant's claims cannot be accepted," prosecutors said in explaining their request.

Prosecutors did not file a separate appeal of their own.

A's defense, meanwhile, acknowledged the killing but again argued there had been no intent to commit robbery, repeating the same position taken at trial.

A's attorney argued that the residential public parking lot where the crime occurred was well-lit by streetlights and regularly used by local residents, and that the victim had herself pointed to and entered the location — making it difficult to view the crime as a premeditated act carried out after scouting a secluded spot for the purpose of killing and theft.

In his final statement, A said he was deeply sorry when he thought of the fear the victim must have experienced — unable even to call for help — in a situation she could never have imagined arising in a romantic relationship. "I will accept whatever punishment is given and spend the rest of my life in atonement," he said.