Korean Stalker Slaughtered Family Of Three, Lived With Their Corpses After Being Blocked By Victim

A South Korean man has been found guilty on Tuesday, Oct. 26, for the brutal killing of three women who were members of the same family, after one of the victims rejected his advances and refused to meet him.

Kim Tae-hyun, a 25-year-old man, has been convicted of murder, theft, harassment, and breaking and entering, among other crimes. He reportedly murdered a woman he had met online, her mother, and her younger sister in northeastern Seoul in March 23 earlier this year, according to the Korean Herald.

“It rightfully makes sense to believe that (Kim) was determined and planned to murder the whole family until the very last moment,” the court said.

Kim had met the girl in an online game and started stalking her when she cut off all contact with him after noticing his inappropriate advances. He proceeded to stalk the home of the girl and planned the murder, including the time as well as the method, in what many in the police force see as a premeditated killing, The Korea Times reported.

“The defendant chose the victims’ home as the site of the crime and visited the residence at 5:35 p.m. even knowing that the family members arrive home at around 10 p.m. And he was already aware of that he will have to encounter anyone in the family for his crime,” the court said.

However, in spite of overwhelming evidence, the court rejected a death penalty sentencing that the prosecution was pushing, saying that Kim seemed remorseful in public about the crime and that he had no prior record before committing any crimes.

Kim had submitted an official apology expressing remorse, as well as a public apology admitting guilt. Many in the court and in the press denounced his actions as attempts to get a lighter sentence, and the court itself is unsure of the sincerity of the apology.

The victims’ family is attempting to appeal the sentence, saying that life imprisonment is too light for someone who murdered a whole family in their actions.

“[There] is no room for consideration of punishment other than a death sentence,” the prosecution argued, due to the premeditated nature and the gruesome act of also killing the victim’s younger sister and mother.