84-Year-Old Accused of Killing Neighbor by Swinging Blunt Weapon and Wielding Knife Repeatedly Says in Court, “I Can’t Hear Well”

At the first hearing in the murder case against Mr. A, held on the 10th before Presiding Judge Baek Sang-bin of the Criminal Division 1 at the Gunsan Branch of the Jeonju District Court, Mr. A’s defense attorney denied the charges, saying that the defendant has dementia and difficulty communicating. The attorney said that Mr. A continues to deny committing the crime, and that the defense was therefore taking the position of denying the charges for now.

The judge questioned Mr. A directly to determine whether the attorney’s explanation matched his wishes. Instead of giving specific answers, however, Mr. A repeated, “I can’t hear well.”

The defense attorney told the court that he would request an evaluation of Mr. A’s mental state. The court accepted the request and decided not to conclude the proceedings that day, scheduling the trial to continue on the first of next month.

Mr. A was indicted on charges of beating and then repeatedly stabbing Mr. B, a neighbor in his 70s, with a blunt weapon and a knife at about 7:20 a.m. on July 31 in front of a home in Iksan, North Jeolla Province. Investigators said Mr. A overpowered Mr. B, who was passing in front of his home, for no apparent reason, dragged him into the yard, and carried out the attack.

Mr. B suffered serious injuries in the attack and was taken to a hospital for treatment. He continued receiving care in the hospital before dying on the 4th, about a month after the incident.