Seoul High Court Dismisses Appeals in Spousal Murder Case
A man in his 70s convicted of pouring a flammable substance on his wife and setting her on fire has had his 16-year prison sentence upheld on appeal, munhwa.com reported. The Seoul High Court rejected appeals from both the defendant, identified as Choi, and prosecutors on November 15, confirming the prison term originally handed down in the murder case.
Arrest and Court Findings on the Attack
The case stems from an incident in November of last year when Choi and his wife were drinking and arguing at home. During the dispute, Choi poured a flammable substance over his wife and ignited it. The victim was transported to a hospital for treatment but died from systemic sepsis nine days later. Investigators and court officials noted that Choi had a history of domestic violence, including a prior incident where he beat his wife with a stick, leading to a domestic court referral for special assault.
Rejected Defenses and Re-evaluated Evidence
Throughout the trial proceedings, Choi argued that he had initially poured the flammable liquid on himself and acted impulsively while intoxicated and off his panic disorder medication. However, the first and second instance courts rejected his claims after finding no flammable residue or burn injuries on Choi’s hair or clothing. Judges concluded that based on the extent of the victim’s burns, Choi had applied the accelerant across her upper body and head to ensure the fire would catch easily. The appellate panel also noted that although Choi used a fire extinguisher afterward, he failed to call emergency services and left the victim unattended for roughly two hours.
Sentencing Factors and Re-offending Risk Assessment
The court factored several elements into the final sentence, including Choi’s advanced age of 75, his intoxication, and the fact that he confessed during a reference interview the day after the crime. While a recidivism risk assessment scored Choi at 13 points, placing him at a high risk for re-offending, the court declined prosecutors’ requests to attach an electronic monitoring device. Judges reasoned that Choi would be 90 years old upon completing his prison sentence and found no evidence he posed a violent or homicidal threat to individuals other than his late wife.
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