Granddaughter in her 20s gets five years in prison in first trial over grandfather’s killing: “Hard to conclude she intended to kill”

[Financial News] A granddaughter in her 20s who was indicted on charges of fatally stabbing her paternal grandfather with a knife was sentenced to prison. The court accepted that she had committed the act but said it was difficult to conclude that she intended to kill him. It applied the offense of causing the death of a lineal ascendant by injury instead of parricide, and sentenced her to the statutory minimum of five years in prison.
According to legal sources on the 23rd, Criminal Division 11 of the Seoul Northern District Court, presided over by Judge Choi Gyeong-seo, sentenced Noh, a 24-year-old university student indicted on charges of parricide, to five years in prison.
Noh was indicted on charges of fatally stabbing her paternal grandfather, who was in his 80s, with a paring knife at their home in Dapsimni-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, at around 11:53 a.m. on May 18.
The court questioned whether Noh had planned the crime in advance. Although the paring knife used in the crime had been kept in Noh’s room rather than the kitchen, the court found it difficult to conclude that she had prepared the weapon in advance to kill, given that she stayed in her room to avoid her grandparents’ arguments or ate her meals there.
The court also reviewed the fact that, before the crime, Noh searched an artificial intelligence (AI) app for ways to resist impulses to assault someone and for information related to murder, and watched related videos on YouTube. However, she had made only two queries to the AI app, in effect, and the responses recommended controlling her impulses or consulting a mental health professional. The court therefore found that the search history alone was insufficient to support an intent to kill.
The court also examined the circumstances of the crime and where the victim was attacked. The investigation found that Noh had argued with her grandfather and gone into her room, but approached him again and swung a knife toward his shoulder after he continued to curse and behave aggressively. The court explained, “If she had intended to kill him, she could have stabbed him directly in the chest, but she swung the weapon toward his shoulder,” adding, “Reasonable doubt remains as to whether she swung the weapon with the intent to kill.”
The court also took into account that Noh called 119 after the crime and performed CPR as instructed by paramedics. Although she did not clearly disclose her responsibility when she called, she later admitted to the crime during police questioning and did not try to hide the weapon.
The court concluded that, taken together, the circumstances left reasonable doubt as to whether Noh had intended to kill. Presiding Judge Choi said, “Intent to kill can be determined by considering the circumstances before and after a crime, even without direct evidence, but it cannot be established solely because the crime is highly reprehensible,” adding, “We are applying the offense of causing the death of a lineal ascendant by injury instead of the charge of parricide.”
The court stressed the gravity of the victim’s death. It said, “The suffering endured by the bereaved family will be difficult to overcome, and the crime cannot be justified solely by the fact that the victim treated her unfairly.” However, it considered in her favor the difficulties Noh had faced, including verbal and physical abuse by the victim, and the fact that she had lived with the victim to save on housing costs and set aside money for studying abroad. Taking into account as well that her family did not want her punished and that she had no prior convictions, the court sentenced her to the statutory minimum of five years in prison.
At the earlier closing hearing, the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors’ Office (now the Seoul Northern District Prosecution Service) had asked the court to sentence Noh to 20 years in prison.
In her final statement, Noh appealed for leniency. She said, “If I had remembered that my grandfather was elderly, I should have tried harder to avoid conflict or resolve it warmly. I am sorry for committing the worst crime a person can commit. I will atone, again and again, until the day I die.” She repeatedly apologized, saying, “Grandfather, I’m sorry. I’m sorry once again.”
[email protected] Seo Ji-yoon Reporter