"Pay for the Shaman Ritual" Ex-Husband Beaten 500 Times to Death... 40s Woman Sentenced to 30 Years

[Financial News] A woman in her 40s was sentenced to 30 years in prison for beating her ex-husband to death while demanding payment for their children's shaman ritual. The same sentence was given to a shaman who incited the crime through gaslighting (psychological manipulation).
On the 19th, according to the legal community, the Supreme Court's 3rd Division (Presiding Judge Lee Suk-yeon) upheld the original sentence of 30 years in prison for A, who was indicted on charges including robbery-murder and parricide.
A was brought to trial for beating her ex-husband B to death at a house in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, last May.
The incident began when A and B met a shaman in October 2017. They had a fortune-telling session with the shaman, and as the predictions came true, they began to blindly believe in him.
After divorcing B in April 2020, A lived with the shaman. When she needed money, she demanded money from B under the pretext that their children's poor health was due to spiritual reasons. During this process, the children pretended to be possessed to deceive B.
When B stopped giving money, A and others beat him, demanding he find money. Over six days, they trampled on B's body and genitals, strangled him, and beat him with a hammer and a back scratcher more than 500 times. Eventually, B died from multiple injuries to various parts of his body.
The first trial sentenced A and the shaman to life imprisonment, and A's daughter to 10 years in prison. The son, who participated in the assault, was not prosecuted as he was a minor and considered a juvenile offender.
The first trial court stated, "Even considering that A was mentally subjugated to the shaman and committed the crime believing his words, she not only brutally and mercilessly assaulted the victim but also made her children cruelly beat their father to death," adding, "A's actions are the epitome of inhumane and immoral behavior."
Regarding the shaman, it was pointed out that "he incited the crime by psychologically dominating A's family, who absolutely believed and followed his words, saying that 'if the ritual is not performed, A and the children will die or suffer.'"
The second trial reduced A and the shaman's sentences to 30 years in prison. The second trial court stated, "The crime is very serious and heinous in terms of motive, means, and method, and the nature of the crime is poor, making it inevitable to impose a heavy sentence," but also noted, "It does not appear that there is no possibility of rehabilitation or reformation for the defendants, nor that isolating them permanently from society is the only means to prevent crime."
The Supreme Court dismissed the appeal, finding no error in the original judgment.

jisseo@fnnews.com Minji Seo Reporter