A man in his 50s who stalked his former girlfriend and fatally stabbed her new boyfriend has been sentenced to 30 years in prison.
The Hongseong branch of the Daejeon District Court's first criminal division, presided over by Chief Judge Lee Hyo-sun, handed down the sentence on the 22nd to a 52-year-old identified only as A, who was charged with murder, preparation for murder and violating the anti-stalking law, legal sources said. The court also ordered him to complete a 40-hour stalking treatment program.
A was indicted on charges of stabbing to death a man in his 40s, identified as B, who was dating his former girlfriend, at a commercial building in Hongseong County on June 13.
He also faced charges of stalking his former girlfriend and her partner, including following them, after the couple broke up in August last year.
Feeling betrayed, A prepared a knife in advance and looked into buying an air gun as a weapon, indicating the crime was premeditated, investigators found.
"The defendant meticulously planned the crime, and the method was extremely cruel, making the offense grave," the court said. "The bereaved family is pleading for severe punishment amid extreme emotional suffering, and the defendant has made no substantive effort to repair the harm."
