Court jails captain of capsized South Korean ferry to 36 years

Shoes believed to belong to the missing and the deceased are on display at the harbor.

(CNN) -- Lee Joon-Seok, the captain widely derided by families for leaping to safety while the hundreds of people remained inside the sinking South Korean ferry, will learn his fate Tuesday.

It's the culmination of a five-month trial in which a panel of three judges will deliver the verdict and a possible sentence for Lee, who is accused of murder for his conduct on the Sewol ferry that sunk on April 16. Fourteen other crew members will also receive their verdicts.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Lee, alleging that he did not use the available equipment such as life rafts, life vests and announcements to evacuate the passengers.

South Korea has not carried out the death penalty since 1997, and in recent years, the death penalty has essentially meant life imprisonment.

More than 300 people died after the ferry capsized on the southwestern coast of South Korea in April. Almost 250 of them were suburban high school students on their way to a field trip.

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Several of the survivors testified that when the ship's troubles began, they were instructed over the announcement system to stay put rather than to evacuate. The ship eventually capsized, trapping hundreds of passengers inside.

Lee and three other crew members were charged with murder in an emotional trial that began in June.

Crew scorned and blamed

Damning photos of Lee, dressed in a shirt and underwear, jumping into the arms of rescuers, triggered widespread revulsion. While, there's no international maritime law that says a captain has to go down with his or her ship, his actions drew widespread criticism and it cemented in many people's mind that the captain had prioritized his safety over that of his passengers.

Even South Korean President Park Geun-hye chimed in, calling the actions of Lee and his crew as 'akin to murder.'

Lee has apologized numerous times, saying his actions were not intentional.

'I was stunned by the accident and I lost my ability to make decisions. I swear I never thought passengers should be left dying in order for me to make it to safety first.'

His defense has maintained that Lee had only been at the helm of the ship for six days and that he was not willfully negligent.

'The defendant comes to understand the responsibility and is relying on psychological medication and also sleeping pills,' his lawyer, Lee Gwang-jae told the court earlier this month. 'He has an apologetic mindset and is living everyday as if walking on a thorny field, fearing that what he has done may be passed onto his family.'

Lee had not been steering at the time when the ship listed that April morning. Lee told the court he was in his room, smoking and changing his clothes when trouble began on the ship. He acknowledged that he knew that the person who was steering did not have the proper skills.

'I failed to take the necessary measures for passengers to leave the ship,' Lee said in court.

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'I reflect and apologize to the victim's families -- to those who lost their beloved sons and daughters. To the fathers, I'd say: 'I've committed a sin, worthy of death.''

There have been some concern that the Sewol crew members were being publicly demonized, affecting their chances for fair trial. Their trial was so highly charged that some lawyers refused to represent Lee.

Investigators have said that a vast amount of cargo, more than double the ferry's limit, and the failure to tie it down properly were partly responsible for the capsizing of the Sewol.

'I am concerned that those who are more responsible are shifting blame to the defendant,' said Lee's defense attorney, when the trial began.

The operators of the Cheonghaejin Marine Co, which ran the ill-fated ferry are also facing trial.

South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported that prosecutors are seeking a 15-year prison term for Kim Han-sik, chief executive officer of the company, who is facing a manslaughter charge.

The Sewol disaster caused widespread outrage in South Korea over lax safety standards and the failure to rescue more people as the ship foundered.

Nine bodies still remain missing, as the search continues in the submerged ship.

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