Life imprisonment confirmed for taxi robbery and murder case that went unsolved for 16 years = South Korea

A court has confirmed the life sentence for two taxi robbers who were arrested and tried 16 years later after killing a taxi driver with a deadly weapon under an overpass in Incheon and fleeing the scene.
The Supreme Court of Korea confirmed the original ruling that sentenced Defendant A (48) and his accomplice Defendant B (49) to life imprisonment and five years of probation in the appeal hearing for the robbery and murder charges on the 6th.
The Supreme Court stated, "There was no error in the judgment of the original court, such as violating the rules of logic and experience, going beyond the limits of the principle of free judgment, or misunderstanding legal principles," and "the mitigating circumstances asserted in the grounds for appeal were taken into consideration."
The two men were arrested at around 3 a.m. on July 1, 2007 at Namchon, Namdong-gu, Incheon City.
After stabbing and killing a taxi driver, Mr. C (aged 43 at the time of death), 17 times with a deadly weapon near the road in Dong, he stole 60,000 won (approximately 6,700 yen) in cash and a taxi worth 10 million won (approximately 1.13 million yen).
The two men were put on trial on suspicion of abandoning the body at the crime scene and fleeing the scene, and it was determined that they then abandoned the taxi in a residential area 2.8 kilometers away, set fire to the back seat, and fled the scene.
For a long time, the case seemed to have gone cold because no clues could be found to identify the suspects, but last year, police identified two people based on a small fingerprint found in the manual of the car used as kindling.
The case unfolded rapidly as the two were arrested one after the other. Defendant A completely denied the crime, claiming that the fingerprint analysis results were not credible. Defendant B admitted to the robbery but denied committing the murder.
The first trial sentenced them to 30 years in prison each and ordered them to be placed on probation for five years. The first trial said, "In light of the DNA test results, it is reasonable to assume that Defendant A was at the scene on the day of the crime.
"This is beyond doubt," he said, adding, "Co-defendant B has also consistently stated that after planning the robbery, he got into a taxi on the day of the crime and committed the robbery."
He also said, "The medical examiner who analyzed the victim's autopsy report determined that it was necessary to divide the roles of restraining the victim's body, strangling her with a rope, and stabbing her with a weapon."
"It is reasonable to assume that while defendant A was swinging the weapon at the victim, defendant B restrained the victim and strangled her to death."
The second trial sentenced him to life imprisonment, which was heavier than the 30-year prison sentence given by the previous trial. The second trial said, "It seems that the bereaved family has been living with indescribable mental pain and sorrow," and "The damage has not yet been fully healed."
"They have not recovered at all, and instead must have felt the pain of reliving the shock and sorrow they felt seeing the defendants deny the crimes despite the clear scientific evidence," he said.
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