▲ The Supreme Court (Yonhap)

family murder-sentence

Top court upholds prison terms for husband and son in ailing matriarch's murder

SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- The Supreme Court on Wednesday confirmed prison terms for a man in his 80s and his 50-something son over the high-profile murder of the family's long-ailing matriarch.

The top court upheld the lower court's prison terms of three years for the 80-something man and seven years for his son for strangling the matriarch, also in her 80s, to death at their home in Goyang, just north of Seoul, in March last year after a decade of caregiving.

The victim was reportedly diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2023 after previously suffering a cerebral hemorrhage, further worsening her cognitive and communication abilities. Moreover, she suffered a fall in 2024 that further worsened her condition.

Investigators found that the two men, who had cared for the victim for more than 10 years, chose to kill her and attempt to take their own lives, as her health gradually deteriorated and financial support from other family members became harder to obtain.

They actually jumped into the Han River after committing their crime but were rescued following a report by a passerby.

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