The Daejeon High Court on Thursday upheld an appellate court ruling on a couple charged with the murder of a woman in her 20s, highlighting the necessity of strict punishment.

The top court upheld the conviction of the 32-year-old man and his 21-year-old girlfriend, and reaffirmed their sentences of life imprisonment and 10 years in prison, respectively.

The defendants had asked for the court’s leniency as they handed in an agreement signed by the victim’s ex-husband not to file criminal charges, according to appellate court records. 

The defendants were accused of brutally murdering the 22-year-old victim, beating her multiple times with a construction and farming tool, then strangling her to death around 1 a.m. on Sept. 19, 2017 in Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju.

A local resident called the police to report a “naked body covered in dirt” near the woods around 6:40 a.m. the same day, according to reports. The couple had tried to cover up the murder as rape, leaving the victim without any clothing, police said.

After getting rid of the victim’s clothing, the couple reportedly fled from the scene in their vehicle, but were caught by police two days later on their way to Sokcho, Gangwon Province. 

During the course of interrogation, the man claimed the victim was “bad mouthing” him, so he planned the murder.

The victim was reportedly unemployed and living alone in Cheongju when she first met the man four years ago. The victim had been friends with the man’s girlfriend for 15 years.

By Catherine Chung (cec82@heraldcorp.com)