Currently, South Korea is enraged over a cruel criminal case where a son killed his mother for not preparing his snack.
On December 7, the 2nd Criminal Division of the Jeju District Court sentenced 41-year-old Mr. A to seven years in prison over charges of injury to a relative and causing death.
Mr. A was handed over to trial on charges of assaulting his mother, Ms. B, multiple times, leading to her death while he was drunk in their apartment in Donghong-dong, Seogwipo-si, on May 17.
Mr. A had reported to the police that his mother had lost consciousness, but when authorities arrived at the scene, she was already dead. The police discovered circumstantial evidence supporting the possibility of a murder at the scene, including head trauma on the victim, and immediately arrested the son.
During the trial, Mr. A pleaded “not guilty,” denying the charges. He claimed that he only pushed his mother gently after she refused to make him eggs.
I got angry because I had asked for fried eggs for a snack, but she wouldn’t make them. That’s when I grabbed my mother’s collar and pushed her gently. I didn’t knock her down but just hit her face with my palm while she was sitting. It’s possible that my mother collapsed from dizziness and died.
— Mr. A
However, the court did not find his claims plausible. Citing the autopsy report, the judge said that the death of Ms. B was discovered to be “occupational contusion,” which means she fell backward at such a high speed that her body couldn’t even activate any defense mechanism. Her brain was consequently damaged. The judge added that a hit to her upper body or head would be the only credible explanation as to how she sustained the fall.
Since Mr. A was the only person present during Ms. B’s death and there was no evidence to suggest any outsider’s intrusion, the court deducted, beyond reasonable doubt, that the defendant, Mr. A, was the perpetrator. The court also mentioned that there were multiple bruises on the victim’s body. A broken hanger and broken dishes were also found at the crime scene, demonstrating that there was a significant level of violence used, contrary to Mr. A’s claims.
The court sentenced Mr. A to seven years in prison, explaining, “Considering that the defendant regularly assaulted the victim, who was his mother, and that he committed the crime solely because she didn’t make him fried eggs, the defendant’s guilt is severe, and the possibility of criticism is high.”
However, netizens are not satisfied with this sentencing. Many expressed their displeasure at the prison time, which they considered rather brief.
- “Why 7 years for murder?…That too for parricide…”
- “It should be higher because it’s parricide, and even then, it’s just 7 years?”
- “He’s in his 40s now and will be in his 40s after his release. Have they lost it?”
- “It wasn’t parricide but rather a death by injury to a relative…So a lower sentence is inevitable…”
- “….. All that over a fried egg?”
- “Asking his mother for fried eggs at that age…”
- “Why didn’t he get more than that?”
Source: Maeil Shinmun and thqoo
