“1명 죽이나 3명 죽이나…” 원주 세 모녀 살인미수 10대 최대 10년형

A 10-year-old boy in Gyeongju was sentenced to a maximum of 10 years in prison for the brutal murder of a 40-year-old woman and her two teenage daughters in their apartment. At the Gyeongju District Court's First Criminal Division, presided over by Judge Kim Ji-hwan on the 20th, the boy was convicted of homicide, special dwelling intrusion, and creating an instrument of sexual exploitation in violation of the Youth Protection Act.

He was given a 10-year prison term with a minimum of 7 years, along with mandatory 40 hours of sexual violence counseling, a 7-year ban from employment at youth and correctional facilities, and a 5-year probation order. The court rejected the prosecution's request for electronic tracking devices (electronic ankle bracelets). The judge noted that the defendant had meticulously planned the crime, searching for employment methods for the defendant, obtaining the victims' passwords and the father's absence timeline, and staying hidden for 35 minutes before entering the apartment.

The judge also criticized the defendant for not showing any recognition of the value of life or a serious attitude of reflection. The judge considered the defendant's age, potential for improvement, lack of prior juvenile protection measures, and the adolescent psychological evaluation results indicating borderline intellectual functioning as mitigating factors.

The defendant entered the apartment using the apartment's common area door password and waited outside the victims' homes before entering. He was arrested by police who responded to a neighbor's report. The investigation revealed that the defendant had searched for "homicide" on his phone and had records of attempting to buy a weapon.

The prosecution argued that the crime was serious enough to warrant a long-term prison sentence, but the judge determined that a middle term of 10 years and a minimum of 7 years was appropriate. The defendant's motive was to avenge the invasion of his privacy. After the incident, the victims' families called for stricter penalties for juvenile offenders in violent crimes, arguing that reducing the punishment because the defendant was a minor would only cause additional harm to the victims and their families.

The call for stronger penalties garnered over 50,000 signatures and was forwarded to the Legislative Judicial Committee.