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Father's 3-year sentence upheld for killing disabled 39-year-old son

Published: 14 May. 2025, 15:32 Updated: 14 May. 2025, 16:03

[JOONGANG ILBO]

A 63-year-old father convicted of killing his severely disabled son had his three-year prison sentence upheld on appeal on Wednesday.

The Daegu High Court dismissed both the defendant’s and the prosecution’s appeals on Wednesday, affirming a lower court’s ruling of three years in prison.

“The court finds no substantial change or new evidence in sentencing,” the appellate bench stated. “The circumstances cited by both the defendant and the prosecutor were already considered during the first trial.”

In the initial ruling, the district court emphasized the sanctity of life.

“Even if the victim — the defendant’s child — suffered from a severe disability and expressed a pessimistic outlook on life, the value of human life remains paramount and must be protected to the utmost by society and the state,” the court said.

The defendant was convicted of fatally stabbing his adult son — who had a Grade 1 brain lesion — multiple times while bathing him at their home in Nam District, Daegu, on Oct. 24, 2023.

Following the incident, the man attempted to take his own life and was found unconscious by his wife. He later recovered after medical treatment.

The man’s wife, younger son and representatives from disability advocacy organizations submitted letters to the court requesting leniency, citing his 39 years of dedicated care for his disabled son.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY JEONG HYE-JEONG [[email protected]]