A man who killed his mother because he believed her to be possessed by evil spirits has been sentenced to 10 years in prison, reports said.
The Mokpo Branch of Gwangju District Court found the 39-year-old man surnamed Kim to be guilty of matricide but said that his unstable mental state was taken into consideration during sentencing.
In July, Kim was arrested under suspicions of murder for knocking down his 65-year-old mother and pounding her head on the ground; striking her with his fists, feet and exercise equipment and eventually leaving her dead.
“Kim deserves severe punishment as he committed an immoral crime towards his vulnerable mother,” the court said.
“However, we took into account the fact that he suffers from a mental disorder.”