[News Today] LIFER RULED INNOCENT 25 YRS LATER

[LEAD]
Kim Shin-hye, previously sentenced to life for her father's murder, has been acquitted and released following a retrial. After 25 years in prison, she was released and pledged to prevent similar tragedies.

[REPORT]
A man in his 50s was found dead at a bus stop in Wando-gun County, Jeollanamdo Province back in 2000.

The person accused of his murder was his daughter Kim Shin-hye, then aged 23.

She said that his father had sexually assaulted her and her sister and so she had slipped a sleeping pill into his drink and killed him with plans to also claim an insurance payout.

However during trial, she argued that earlier confession was false and she was never sexually harassed. Nonetheless, she was sentenced to life in prison.

Kim requested a retrial in 2015 and has now been found not guilty and discharged from prison some 25 years after the incident.

Kim Shin-hye / Lifer found not guilty
It would've been better to correct the wrongs right away. I will exert efforts to prevent such tragedy from happening again.

The Haenam branch of Gwangju District Court which conducted the retrial said it's possible she gave a false confession to protect her younger brother who was suspected of the crime.

It also said the evidence does not hold up because the police secured it without a warrant and it's difficult to acknowledge claims about the sleeping pill and sexual assault.

The court also noted that Kim, a certified insurance planner, must have known that it would be difficult to claim a payout due to a breach in disclosure duties, underscoring her lack of motive.

Park Jun-young / Kim's lawyer
Her consistent claim of innocence, the truth was the biggest proof for the acquittal.

The ruling comes from a retrial of the earlier life sentence verdict.

If the prosecution appeals, another appellate court trial could take place.