[26.02.05] Gwanak Pizza Shop Murderer Kim Dong-won Gets Life Sentence

Pizza Shop Murderer Kim Dong-won Sentenced to Life Imprisonment

📍Court rejects death penalty sought by prosecutors, citing lack of special circumstances

Kim Dong-won (41), who killed three people by wielding a weapon at a pizza shop in Gwanak District, Seoul, was sentenced to life imprisonment in the first trial.

Kim Dong-won, who killed three people by wielding a weapon at a pizza shop in Seoul's Gwanak District, was sentenced to life imprisonment in the first trial.

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🔹 Court sentences life imprisonment, rejects electronic monitoring and probation
The Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 34 (Presiding Judge Han Seong-jin) sentenced Kim Dong-won, who was indicted under detention on murder charges, to life imprisonment on the 5th. The court dismissed the prosecution’s requests for an electronic monitoring order and probation. Prosecutors had previously sought the death penalty along with a 30-year electronic monitoring order and five years of probation.

🔹 Court: “Severe fear suffered by victims, but insufficient grounds for death penalty”
The court stated that “the pain and fear experienced by the victims at the time would have been considerable” and that “the defendant has not received forgiveness from the victims’ families.” However, it added that “considering the fact that multiple assessments of the risk of reoffending mostly indicated a medium level, it cannot be concluded that there are重大 special circumstances justifying the death penalty.”

🔹 Large deposit not considered a mitigating factor
Kim deposited a large sum of money for the victims’ families during the trial, but the court did not consider it a mitigating factor. The court explained that “the victims’ families expressed no intention to receive the deposit and are petitioning for severe punishment.”

🔹 Crime motivated by resentment over refusal of free repairs
Kim is accused of killing three people, including a headquarters employee of the franchise and a father and daughter from an interior construction company, using a weapon hidden in his pizza franchise store in Jowon-dong, Gwanak District, Seoul, in September last year.

According to police, Kim had operated the franchise since September 2023, and committed the crime after harboring resentment when the headquarters and the interior company refused to provide free repairs for damaged kitchen tiles and minor leaks, citing the expiration of the warranty period.

🔹 Prosecutors: “Extreme crime over trivial defects”
At the sentencing hearing held last month, prosecutors argued that “the defects complained of by the defendant were limited to damage to two tiles and minor leaks,” adding that “they were not issues that would justify anger leading to murder.” Prosecutors further stated that “the defendant’s distorted sense of victimhood led to the brutal killing of three people,” and requested the death penalty.

🔹 Kim: “I will live in lifelong atonement”
In his final argument, Kim’s attorney asked the court to consider that “the defendant was under extreme stress and even contemplated his own death.” In his final statement, Kim said, “I sincerely apologize to the victims and their families who suffered great pain and harm,” adding, “I will live my life in lifelong atonement.”

One-line summary : Kim Dong-won, who killed three people at a pizza shop in Gwanak District, was sentenced to life imprisonment instead of death.