Case of Long Unsolved Mystery
Law enforcement reopens investigation into the crime scene note
Arrest of the suspect in March 2023
The Supreme Court has confirmed life imprisonment for two men in their 40s who were finally caught after 16 years for killing a taxi driver and stealing money in Incheon in 2007.
The Supreme Court’s 2nd Division, led by Chief Justice Kwon Young-jun, confirmed the lower court’s decision to sentence Mr. A (48) and accomplice Mr. B (49) to life imprisonment for the charge of robbery murder.
The defendants, who were cellmates in prison, were arrested and charged with killing a taxi driver (43 at the time) in Nambu-dong, Incheon, and stealing 60,000 won in cash from the victim’s car under the Nambu overpass on the second Gyeongin Expressway on July 1, 2007, around 3 a.m. To destroy evidence, they even set fire to the back seat of the taxi.
This case remained unsolved for a long time until police were able to catch the culprit in March 2023 based on thumbprints found at the crime scene.
The first trial court sentenced Mr. A and Mr. B to 30 years in prison each. At the second trial, the prosecution’s appeal that the sentence was too lenient was accepted, and they were sentenced to life imprisonment.
The appellate court stated, “Murder is a serious crime that infringes upon the irreplaceable value of human life, and there is no way to compensate for the damage caused. In addition, robbery murder cannot be rationalized as it involves taking a human life for economic gain.”
The Supreme Court upheld the original judgment, stating, “Considering the age, character and behavior of A and B, their environment, relationship with the victim, motives and means of the crime, and the circumstances after the crime, it cannot be said that sentencing them to life imprisonment is unfair.”
