Kim Shin-hye, 47, who spent nearly 25 years in prison for allegedly killing her father, was acquitted in a retrial on Monday, clearing her of the charges after 24 years. The Haenam branch of the Gwangju District Court, located 330 kilometers south of Seoul, overturned her life sentence, declaring her not guilty of the crime.
Kim, who had been accused of mixing alcohol with sleeping pills to kill her biological father, was released immediately following the court’s decision.
Kim had been sentenced to life imprisonment in 2001 for allegedly killing her father by administering sleeping pills mixed with alcohol. The court’s decision came after over 24 years of incarceration and more than nine years since the retrial was ordered.
Key issues debated during the retrial included the reliability of Kim’s confession, the legality of evidence obtained by the police, and the possibility of detecting sleeping pills in her father’s system.
The court ruled that Kim’s confession, which had been crucial in her initial conviction, was not admissible. Kim later stated that she had falsely confessed to protect her brother, who had been suspected of the crime. The court also deemed the evidence obtained through police searches and seizures to be illegal, as the necessary warrants were not secured.
Additionally, the court pointed out that there was no conclusive proof linking the alleged sleeping pills to her father’s death. The autopsy found no significant traces of drugs, and the victim’s blood alcohol concentration was found to be alarmingly high, which could have been the primary cause of death. The court also dismissed the previously suggested motive of sexual abuse, which Kim later admitted was fabricated under pressure to reduce her sentence.
Kim, who did not attend the hearing, was released immediately from Jangheung Correctional Facility upon her acquittal. Reflecting on her long ordeal, she expressed regret over not being able to protect her father, who passed away before the truth was uncovered.
Kim vowed to fight for justice on behalf of others wrongfully accused and to dedicate herself to helping those facing similar injustices. She also acknowledged the support of her faith in enduring her years in prison and expressed gratitude for the final ruling.
In 2015, Kim applied for a retrial, citing allegations of police misconduct, including illegal searches and coerced confessions. The original case heavily relied on Kim’s confession and circumstantial evidence, such as her father’s life insurance policies, three of which had been canceled before his death. Despite claims that the victim had been drugged with sleeping pills, no traces of the substance were found in the articles Kim allegedly used. Kim’s acquittal marks the first retrial of a prisoner serving a life sentence in South Korea, as the court found insufficient evidence to sustain the original conviction.
