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Man sentenced to life for fatally stabbing 18-year-old student in random attack

Published: 09 Jan. 2025, 13:17 Updated: 09 Jan. 2025, 14:06

Murderer Park Dae-seong [JEONNAM PROVINCIAL POLICE AGENCY]

The man who fatally stabbed an 18-year-old student with no apparent motive has been sentenced to life in prison.

The Gwangju District Court handed down a life sentence to Park Dae-seong, 30, on charges of murder on Thursday morning. The prosecution had requested the death penalty for Park in December last year.

Park stabbed the victim three times while intoxicated in a parking lot in Jorye-dong, Suncheon, South Jeolla, at around 12:44 a.m. on Sept. 26.

Park, who ran a food delivery restaurant, was drinking alone at his shop on the day of the murder. He grabbed a weapon, went outside and followed the victim, who happened to be passing by, for about 800 meters (2,624 feet) before attacking her from behind.

He fled the scene when a passerby, who witnessed the crime, approached in an attempt to stop him. The witness reported that the teenager cried out, “Save me,” before succumbing to her injuries.

The victim was transported to a hospital after the attack but bled to death.

Park was later apprehended by police around 3 a.m. after getting into an altercation with another passerby while wandering around drunk.

Investigations revealed that Park did not know the victim. He claimed that he had been drinking due to a breakup with his girlfriend and financial troubles with his business.

The investigation also uncovered CCTV footage showing Park smiling on the night of the crime.

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [[email protected]]