2012-06-29 15:43
12-year prison term sought for Japanese over murder of Korean wife
By Kim Eun-ji
The Japanese prosecution demanded 12 years of imprisonment for a 51-year-old Japanese man Wednesday for killing his Korean wife and cutting her body into 20 pieces. Hideo Yamaguchi murdered his wife, Cho Young-ju, 41, in September 2010, when she asked him to return 500,000 yen she borrowed from her friend for him. “The killing was cruel,” said a prosecutor at Yokohama District Prosecutors Office Wednesday Yamaguchi has also been indicted for theft. He drew money from a bank with a credit card he took from his wife’s clothes after dumping Cho’s chopped-up body parts in a river. The severity of crime could cost Yamaguchi up to 30 years in jail, 20 years for murder and 10 years for theft, the prosecutor said. The defendant’s lawyer, however, said five years was enough, claiming it was an “unfortunate accident.” The defendant had only pushed Cho but she fell and died, argued Yamaguchi’s lawyer. Cho’s sister and a dozen Korean acquaintances have been protesting in front of the court, calling for a “heavy penalty.” The ruling trial is set for June 29. |
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