A man who fatally stabbed a colleague during an argument at their company dormitory in Daejeon has received a final sentence of 20 years in prison.
The Supreme Court recently rejected the 41-year-old’s appeal against his murder sentence, according to local media reports Friday.
The man was convicted of killing his colleague, then 36, in Yuseong-gu in the early hours of Dec. 1 last year. Both men were Philippine nationals.
The two had argued after the victim said he suspected the defendant of reporting him to the dormitory manager for a drunken disturbance. The defendant then bought a knife and began carrying it, believing the victim could threaten him.
On the day of the killing, they were drinking with other colleagues when another argument broke out over the victim’s suspicion that the defendant had spoken ill of him. The defendant called him outside the entrance and stabbed him multiple times.
The Daejeon District Court sentenced the defendant to 20 years in prison, citing the severity of the attack and the suffering caused to the victim and his family. It also considered his admission of guilt, expression of remorse and lack of a prior criminal record.
Both the defendant and prosecutors appealed the sentence, arguing it was too harsh and too lenient, respectively. An appeals court rejected both challenges, and the Supreme Court’s decision made the sentence final.
tammy@heraldcorp.com