‘Pizza Shop Murder Case’ defendant Kim Dong-won sentenced to life in prison at first trial: “He must bear heavy responsibility”

[Financial News] Kim Dong-won, who was put on trial for fatally stabbing an employee of a franchise headquarters, has been sentenced to life imprisonment.
On the 5th, Criminal Division 34 of the Seoul Central District Court, presided over by Judge Han Sang-jin, sentenced Kim Dong-won to life imprisonment for murder after he had been indicted and detained. Prosecutors had previously asked the court to impose the death penalty on Kim.
The court noted that, because three victims lost their lives in this case, it was necessary to hold Kim strictly accountable. The panel stated, “The defendant specifically planned the crime in advance, and even though killing the victim was not part of the original plan, a murder was nevertheless carried out, which shows the grave nature of the offense,” adding, “The pain and fear the victim must have felt appear to have been considerable.”
The fact that Kim has not been forgiven by the bereaved families was also reflected in the sentence. The court pointed out that although Kim paid 50 million won into court for each of the three victims, their families refused to accept the deposits. It further explained that the victims’ families have been petitioning the court to impose a harsh punishment on Kim, and this also influenced the decision.
However, the judges added that there were insufficient grounds to deem it appropriate to impose the death penalty requested by the prosecution. After Kim was taken into custody, several evaluations were conducted, and his risk of reoffending was assessed as being at a medium level. The court also took into account that this was the first time he had displayed such an extremely antisocial pattern of behavior.
After hearing the life sentence, Kim’s eyes turned red and he began to sob. A sigh of “Ah” was heard from the gallery.
Kim is accused of fatally stabbing one executive from the franchisor’s head office, who was in charge of franchise contract work, and two people from an interior construction company with a weapon at a pizza franchise outlet in Jowon-dong, Gwanak District, Seoul, on September 3 last year. Investigators found that Kim, who had been operating the franchise since October 2023, had been under stress over partial damage to kitchen tiles and water leakage near the kitchen entrance. When the headquarters and the interior contractor refused to provide free repairs, citing the expiration of the one-year warranty period, he decided to commit the crime.
Prosecutors argued, “The defects about which the defendant complained were not so serious that he could not repair them himself, nor were they matters that could reasonably provoke the level of anger that leads to killing someone,” adding, “It is hard to imagine how great the pain and how horrific the fear must have been for the victims. Two peaceful families have been destroyed, and the victims lost their lives, resulting in irreparable harm,” as they requested the death penalty.
theknight@fnnews.com Reporter Jung Kyung-soo Reporter