Small octopuses [낙지, nak-ji], often eaten raw in Korea, are famed for their chewy texture and nutty taste. They are often cut up into pieces before eating, but when eaten whole, consuming them can be highly dangerous.
Reports emerged recently stating that a man used this fact to diguise a murder as ‘accidental death by octopus-induced suffocation’. The victim was the man’s girlfriend – but her death meant the man inheritited ₩200,000,000 (€138,953 or $179,945) in life insurance. Korean judges sentenced the ‘octopus murderer’ to life on 11th October, but angry netizens argue the crime warrants the death penalty.
From Nate:
Why the boyfriend was sentenced to life on the ‘suffocation-by-small-octopus’ incident
The defendant of the Incheon ‘small octopus murder’ incident has been sentenced to life at the first trial.
Criminal Department no.12 (chief prosecuting attorney Park Ee-Kyoo) of Incheon District Court sentenced Mr A (31 years old) to life on the 11th October. Mr A was indicted for the murder of his girlfriend, and disguising it as accidental death by suffocation and then collecting insurance money.
He killed his girlfriend (then 22 years old) by asphyxiation and disguised it as if she died eating a small octopus at a motel in Incheon, around dawn on April 19th, 2010. He was indicted for taking 200 million ones of life insurance money. There was a lot of public attention surrounding the case as it had been closed and deemed an accidental death and the victim’s body was cremated 2 days after the incident, leaving no decisive evidence.
‘It seems evident that his girlfriend died of difficulty in breathing and suffocation,’ the judges said. ‘Then the scene should have been in a mess due to her struggles in extreme pain, but that wasn’t the case,’ they added. The judges explained that he possibly suppressed any of her resistance in this process. The judges also said, ‘there was little consistency in the defendent’s testimony; for example, he first said to his acquaintance that she ate the whole small octopus, then changed this testimony to just its legs. Also, it is hard to see how the victim would have had the whole thing, even if she was very drunk at the time.’
The judges debated his unconvincing behaviour, such as reporting the incident through the motel clerk rather than doing it by himself, and dating another person while his girlfriend was on the brink of death.
The reason for the punishment, they said, was the seriousness of the crime, since he killed someone who had trust in him, on top of the fact that murders are flagrant crimes and the damage done cannot be recovered by even the most heavy of punishments.
He was, however, found innocent on the charge that he forged relevant documents in order to change the recipient of the insurance money. The judges concluded that the victim agreed to give him the money.
This trial was held as a general session since the defendant refused to let it be open to the public. Prosecutors have formerly asked that he be condemned to death.
Comments from Nate – YTN:
전준현
He didn’t just kill with the small octopus, he signed up to loads of insurance schemes with the girl’s name and put his name down as the recipient – just a typical psychopath. That kind of bastard should be ripped to pieces so that no one would ever murder others to get insurance money….
김성환
I thought it’d be capital punishment.. The victim’s family’ll be really shocked.. ㅅㅂ
한현재
Not a life sentence but 1000 years of imprisonment, straight, would be enough to punish that asshole who forsook love for money, who is worse than cattle.
문성진
ke ke ke In the second trial his punishment will be reduced, and in the third even more
윤영기
Shit my blood runs the other way around to think the taxes I payed up will be used to clothe, feed and give a roof to that bastard.. Just hang him, death penalty is the one for him. Fuck
이광우
Feed him small octoposes all through his life in prison….. Only give him big ones..from China…
박송배
These days life behind the walls is heavenly, they say…. Prison is like a weekender house. We should build a prison especially for the most heinous criminals and lock each of them up in a single-occupancy room, a square foot large. If they are allowed to live together and talk to each other, that’s socialising, not a jail…
조두현
Tearing this bastard into pieces is too much mercy for him. He’ll never repent even if he is boiled to death in a pot
이동욱
Give him to the men-eating sharks
김재성
This country is always like this. Serial killers do it away with a few years in prison ㅡㅡ What if he comes out and kills more people? ㅡㅡ They still feed the criminals in the jail. Why feed these bastards? Let them starve to death or something ㅡㅡ
김태희
Have they changed their minds again? Is there a need to keep him in prison for life, wasting the tax money? Give him capital punishment as was intended originally. His last meal will be a live small octopus.
Comments from Nate – Yonhap:
김민국
[He should be sentenced] death penalty on his second trial
박지현
Why is he innocent for using forged documents? Even kids will understand it is a crime…
이규태
I saw this SOB on TV backing out and saying he never killed her. Bastard, he had a trip abroad, bought a car and enjoyed a luxurious life with the life insurance money
박민주
I read online the post written by the victim’s younger sister and the comment on it written by the defendent’s fucking brother. That family must be rotten through and through. Rot away in jail for life! And the insurance money surely would be forfeited? He’s worse than a bug. You fool, all you can have in jail would be to remember the good old time when you were happy with the money
정보희
I begrudge the tax money used to feed that guy, really…. I hope the money could instead be used to feed our soldiers better.. Couldn’t they just give him the death penalty?
