37-year-old Arthur Patterson, the main suspect behind the Itaewon homicide case, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for stabbing 22-year-old college student Cho Joong Pil to death at a Itaewon Burger King back in 1997. 

The Seoul Central District Court announced on January 29, "There is credibility behind the testimony of the accomplice Edward Lee, who witnessed Patterson stab the victim. When you examine the bloodstains on the bathroom wall of where the incident happened, you can see that the defendant's entire body and right hand is covered with a profuse amount of blood." 

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The courts explained, "Right after the homicide took place, Patterson had blood all over his body so he had to wash himself and change his clothes; however, Lee only had a little amount of blood splattered on him. Patterson's testimony that Lee stabbed the victim does not conform to the evidence provided." 

The courts also acknowledged Edward Lee's part in the homicide, stating, "[Lee] urged Patterson to commit the murder and entered the bathroom before him." However, as Lee was previously ruled not guilty, the courts could not sentence him for the same crime. 

When interviewed after the verdict, the mother of the victim stated that she wants to meet her son in heaven.