Supreme Court upholds life sentence for Sillim-dong hiking trail killer

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the ruling of life imprisonment in the case of Choi Yoon-jong for murdering a woman on a trail path in Seoul last year.

Choi Yoon-jong, accused of murdering a woman with brass knuckles, is referred to the prosecution service from the Seoul Gwanak Police Precinct in southern Seoul in August of last year. [NEWS1]

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the ruling of life imprisonment in the case of Choi Yoon-jong for murdering a woman on a trail path in Seoul last year.

The verdict on Thursday dismissed an appeal from Choi, who claimed the life sentence rulings previously handed down by the Seoul Central District Court and the Seoul High Court were "excessive." The top court said the previous rulings were “not improper.”

The Supreme Court decided to maintain an order mandating Choi to wear a GPS tracking device for 30 years and for his personal information to be disclosed for 10 years on a public website. The order also prohibits him from being employed at facilities related to children, students and those with disabilities for 10 years.

On Aug. 17 of last year, Choi struck the victim’s head with brass knuckles and pressed on her neck in an attempt to rape her on a hiking path in Sillim-dong in Gwanak District, southern Seoul. The top court said his assault resulted in the victim's cardiac arrest. The victim died two days after the attack.

The top court also noted that the lower courts did not misinterpret the provisions and legal principles of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes when they handed down the life sentence. It also found that the previous rulings did not violate the "principle of free evaluation of evidence" — a right afforded to judges when assessing the legitimacy of evidence.

According to a report from Yonhap News Agency on Thursday, Choi stated during police questioning that he strangled the victim. However, while in court, he changed his statement, denying his intention to kill the victim and claiming he just “covered her mouth with clothes.”

Last September, the prosecutors indicted Choi on charges of murder and rape. Afterward, the district court and appellate court both found him guilty and sentenced him to life in prison. Both courts acknowledged his intention of murdering the victim.

In response to prosecutors’ demands for the death penalty, the lower courts said such a sentence should be a “last resort,” saying the nation should protect people’s lives in accordance with constitutional values.

The appellate court said although it “cannot completely deny the possibility of Choi's parole after serving 20 years in prison, there is a chance where such paroles could be restricted to certain criminals with a high risk of committing offenses again.”

Choi was reported to have submitted 21 apology statements before his second trial at the appellate court in June.

However, the Seoul High Court questioned his sincerity, as the statements from Choi also included complaints about his health condition and inconveniences in jail.

BY LEE SOO-JUNG [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]