A woman in her 40s who set fire to her home, killing her boyfriend after suffering prolonged romantic violence, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. He claimed self-defense, saying: “I killed to survive” but both the first and appellate courts rejected his argument.
According to the MBC investigative program Straightaired on April 5, the case of Ms. Eunji (pseudonym), who received a final 10-year sentence for arson resulting in death, was revealed.
In the early hours of May 2024, Eunji set fire to a single-family house in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, killing a man in his 30s identified as Mr A. Arrested at the scene, she admitted starting the fire.
During the police investigation, he stated this had been confined and assaulted by Mr. A. “He took my phone, so I couldn’t report him or run away. He hit me like he wanted to kill me, then fell asleep. I was full of anger,” he said.
Their relationship dates back to seven years ago. Initially kind, Mr A soon became obsessively controlling, telling her not to meet others, to stay at home and even dictating what she could wear. The abuse progressed to physical violence.
The severity of the abuse worsened over time. He suffocated her and threatened her with weapons. At one point, Eunji suffered facial fractures so severe that she was hospitalized in intensive care.
His mother recalled, “He was right-handed, so he hit her repeatedly on the right side of her face. Doctors said she may lose sight in her right eye.” In five years of dating, Eunji reportedly filed at least 31 police reports.
Eunji eventually ran away to her father’s house, but Mr. A followed her there, causing disturbances and demanding to live with her.
In 2022, Mr. A was sentenced to six months in prison for assaulting Eunji and causing serious facial injuries, including orbital fractures. Following his release, he was re-incarcerated multiple times five months later for refusing to leave his residence and in 2023 for aggravated assault, serving additional sentences of four months and one year respectively.
Court documents detail the brutality. On September 30, 2022, he strangled her and punched her in the face and head about ten times for trying to return home. On October 22, 2022, during another argument, he scratched her arm with a weapon and burned her abdomen with cigarettes.
Despite serving three terms in prison, his obsession only intensified. Just a week after his release, he contacted Eunji, asking to meet him and apologize. Fearful of harming her family, she went to his home only to be subjected to even more severe abuse. Faced with what he described as a life-threatening situationhe ultimately committed the crime.
However, his history of abuse was interpreted by the court as a motive rather than justification. The first judge of first instance stated this she was likely in an extremely distressed emotional state after being attacked prior to the incident and determined that there was intent to kill, sentencing her to 12 years.
On appeal, Eunji supported him his actions were not premeditated murder but self-defense against prolonged and severe dating violence.
The appeal court recognized that she had been exposed to long-term abuse and was likely in fear for her life, saying that he committed the crime mistakenly believing it was the only way to end his suffering. His sentence was reduced to 10 years. However, the court still recognized the intent to kill and rejected the claim of self-defense. The ruling has since been finalized.
Sources: Nate
