Prosecution Service Seeks Death Penalty for ‘Pizza Shop Triple Murder Case’ Suspect Kim Dong-won: “He Caused Irreparable Harm”

[Financial News] The Prosecution Service has asked the court to sentence Kim Dong-won, who fatally stabbed a franchise headquarters employee and others, to death.
At the final hearing on Kim Dong-won’s murder case, held before the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Agreement Division 34 presided over by Chief Judge Sung-Jin Han, the Prosecution Service requested the death penalty, along with 30 years of electronic monitoring and 5 years of probation.
The Prosecution Service stated, “The defects about which the defendant complained were not so serious that he could not have repaired them himself, nor were they matters that could reasonably provoke the level of rage required to kill someone,” adding, “It is hard to imagine the immense pain and the sense of horror and brutality the victims must have felt. Two peaceful families have been destroyed, and the victims lost their lives, resulting in irreparable harm.”
They continued, “This sentence is a way to judge the defendant’s crime, to console the spirits of the deceased victims, and to provide some measure of comfort to the bereaved families,” and added, “Human life is a fundamental condition of existence, and murder, which infringes upon life, must be punished with the utmost severity.”
Kim Dong-won’s attorney said, “The defendant’s actions are inexcusable,” but went on, “However, the defendant was under severe stress and, in that process, even contemplated taking his own life. The victims have not yet been given a real opportunity to reach a settlement from their perspective. Please take this into account. The defendant is also willing to deposit all of his assets with the court, so we ask that you consider this and give him as much opportunity as possible to repent for his crimes.”
Kim Dong-won stated, “I am truly sorry to the victims and their families, who have suffered immense pain and damage because of the wrongdoing I committed,” adding, “When I think of the victims as if they were my own family, my heart aches and I feel a tearing pain in my chest. Though I have no right to ask, I will pray each day that their hearts may heal, even if only little by little.”
He went on, “I keep seeing the victims lying there, like a photograph in my mind,” and said, “I keep spacing out, and whenever I see the word ‘murder’ in a newspaper, my heart sinks. Thinking of my family, who have tried to support me, I will live the rest of my life in atonement to the victims’ families, who must carry deep wounds,” he said, choking up.
The court is scheduled to hand down its verdict on Kim Dong-won at 10:20 a.m. on the 5th of next month.
Kim Dong-won is accused of fatally stabbing one executive from the franchise headquarters, who was in charge of franchise contract work, and two people from an interior construction company at a pizza franchise outlet in Jowon-dong, Gwanak District, Seoul, on September 3 last year. Investigators found that, after operating the franchise since October 2023, he had been under stress over issues such as partial damage to kitchen tiles and water leakage near the kitchen entrance, and decided to commit the crime when the headquarters and the interior company refused free repairs on the grounds that the one-year warranty period had expired.
theknight@fnnews.com Jung Kyung-soo Reporter