Life sentence confirmed for pizza store murderer
The mug shot of Kim Dong-won, 42, who murdered three people at a pizza store in Seoul's southern district of Gwanak, Sept. 3 / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency
A life sentence has been finalized for a 42-year-old man over fatal stabbings at a Seoul pizza store last year, legal sources said Monday.
The Seoul High Court handed down the ruling on Kim Dong-won on June 11. Kim's sentence was finalized Friday after he gave up his final appeal against the appellate court ruling, according to the sources.
Kim, who operated a franchise pizza store in southern Seoul, killed an employee of the franchiser, an interior contractor and the contractor's daughter in September following a dispute over repair costs.
During the sentencing on June 11, the court rejected his defense, saying, "While he (Kim) appears to have been stressed by interior defects, his response led to murder, which is unacceptable by societal standards."
The prosecution had previously demanded the death penalty.