Appellate court upholds life sentence for man found guilty of killing 3 women

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An appellate court upheld a life sentence Wednesday for a man found guilty of stalking a woman he befriended online and killing her and two of her family members in one of the country's most appalling stalking cases.

The Seoul High Court confirmed a lower court's life imprisonment for Kim Tae-hyun, 26, commenting "his life sentence should be completely executed without a parole."

Kim was charged with killing the woman he met in an online game, along with her mother and younger sister, at their home in Seoul in March last year.

As she cut communications with him over his repeated stalking, Kim disguised himself as a deliveryman to enter her home and killed the youngest daughter who was at home alone. He waited for the other two victims to arrive and later stabbed them to death, according to investigation records.

The prosecution had sought the death penalty for Kim, arguing the killings were premeditated. Kim had argued only the murder of the online gamer was premeditated.

The lower court accepted the prosecutors' argument that the killings of all three were premeditated, although it did not impose the death penalty they demanded.

"Having not followed through with a death penalty over the past 25 years, capital punishment no longer has a practical effect as a punitive measure in the country," the court said.

The court, however, insisted Kim should remain in "permanent isolation to repent for the rest of his life," adding that he should be denied the opportunity of parole. (Yonhap)