Stabbing spree targeting exam candidates with a knife, claiming "diminished mental capacity"... Appellate court rules "no sentence reduction"

A man in his 30s who stabbed a third-year high school student on the street with a weapon he had prepared in advance, without any reason, was sentenced to prison again in the appeal trial. Photo is unrelated to the content.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Choyoung] A man in his 30s who attempted to kill a high school senior by wielding a weapon without reason was sentenced to prison again in the appellate court.

According to the legal community on the 16th, the Criminal Division 1 of the Daejeon High Court (Chief Judge Baek Seungyeop) dismissed the appeal of A (33), who was sentenced to 8 years in prison in the first trial on charges of attempted murder.

A was prosecuted for suddenly wielding a weapon at B (18), a high school senior passing near the Daejeon Seo-gu Police Station in August last year, attempting to kill him.

At the time, B suffered injuries requiring six weeks of medical treatment, and it was reported that he experienced difficulties in entering university due to this incident.

A, who had suffered from mental illness since his teenage years, reportedly stated during the investigation, "Due to extreme stress, I no longer wanted to live and thought I should die, so I intended to kill someone randomly and then take my own life."

The prosecution explained that A was unaware of his illness at the time of the crime, refusing medication treatment.

The first trial court stated, "In cases of indiscriminate crimes targeting ordinary people without special reasons, anyone can become a victim, and it is difficult to respond to sudden crimes," adding, "Since it causes great social anxiety, severe punishment is necessary."

A appealed, claiming the crime was impulsive due to diminished mental capacity, but the appellate court also maintained the original sentence, stating, "Diminished mental capacity is not recognized as a reason for mitigation."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.