Man fatally stabs wife 88 times after argument

(Herald DB)

A 75-year-old man has been convicted of murdering his wife, court officials said Sunday, over a quarrel and his mistaken belief that the victim "looked down" on him.

The Goyang branch of the Uijeongbu District Court sentenced the defendant to 18 years in prison and five years of probation upon release for the murder of the 69-year-old victim, which occurred last year.

The defendant killed the victim at their daughter's home in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, at around 11:18 a.m. on Sept. 12, stabbing her 88 times. The couple had quarreled over various home maintenance issues, which escalated in an argument over a used dresser that the victim brought home.

The victim left and went to her daughter's home, where the defendant went the next day and attacked her.

"We had been quarrelling, and I thought she was looking down on me on the day of the incident," he reportedly told police. He also claimed that the crime had not been planned.

But the court shot down the claim that the crime was not premeditated, pointing out that the defendant brought a knife to the crime scene, and that he told police he had thought about killing his wife all night before the murder, and considered a knife to be a suitable weapon.

His claim that the knife was only intended to make his wife change her attitude was an attempt to reduce his sentence, the court said.

"The method of the crime was particularly cruel, and the victim appears to have suffered great pain as she died. The victim also appears to have suffered great psychological distress. ... Yet the defendant tried to blame the victim, as he mentioned her 'unique pride' multiple times," the court said in its ruling.

It said the defendant should be isolated from society for a long time, but considered the fact that the victim's family has requested leniency and that the defendant had no prior criminal record.