Defendant in 'Bucheon Ringer Death Case' Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison... Court Recognizes Murder Charge (Comprehensive)

Charged with Killing Boyfriend by Drug Overdose
Court: "Disguised as Joint Suicide, Severe Punishment for Denial"

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] In the so-called 'Bucheon IV Drip Death Case,' where fierce legal battles ensued over whether it was a planned murder or a joint suicide (extreme choice), the first trial recognized the charge of murder against the defendant, the girlfriend.

The Criminal Division 1 of Bucheon Branch, Incheon District Court (Chief Judge Im Haeji) sentenced A (32, female), a former nursing assistant who was arrested and indicted on charges of causing the death of her boyfriend by overdosing him with drugs (murder), to 30 years in prison on the 24th.

The court stated, "The only evidence that the victim agreed to a joint suicide is the defendant's testimony, which is not only scant but also highly unreliable," and added, "the victim, who was undergoing personal rehabilitation procedures, had been consistently paying the rehabilitation fees and receiving a salary from his father, making it difficult to view him as experiencing mental or financial hardship severe enough to commit suicide."

It continued, "It is judged that the defendant killed the victim after suspecting him of engaging in prostitution," and "before the crime, she searched whether injection shock could be detected through an autopsy and used medical knowledge to administer stored drugs to the victim, while ingesting the drugs herself in a way to disguise it as a joint suicide."

The court explained the sentencing rationale, saying, "The defendant denies the murder without any sign of remorse and has made no effort to console the bereaved family," and "it is appropriate for her to be isolated from society for a long time to repent and atone to the bereaved family."

A was tried for administering anesthetics and other drugs via IV drip to her boyfriend B (30 years old at the time of death) at a motel in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, around 11:30 a.m. on October 21, 2018, causing his death.

According to the autopsy by the National Forensic Service, B was found to have been administered lethal doses of propofol, an anesthetic, and diclofenac, an anti-inflammatory analgesic. The cause of death was cardiac arrest due to diclofenac.

At the time, A, who was with B at the motel, was also found to have taken drugs, but at levels below therapeutic concentration.

The police judged that A administered a lethal dose of drugs to B and took drugs herself at sub-therapeutic levels, applying the charge of 'murder by deception with consent' and referred her to the prosecution without detention. The charge of murder by deception with consent applies when one deceives the other into believing they will commit an extreme act together and obtains consent to kill.

However, after supplementary investigation, the prosecution analyzed text messages exchanged between A and B before the incident and A's internet search records, finding no evidence that they attempted an extreme choice simultaneously, and indicted A on murder charges.

At the sentencing hearing held on the 8th, the prosecution demanded life imprisonment for A, stating, "This case involves the defendant harboring resentment and killing the victim with drugs."

The victim's sister, representing the bereaved family, said, "My younger brother, who said he would 'go eat with his girlfriend' wearing slippers and casual clothes, returned the next day as a cold corpse," and "Watching the motel CCTV footage of the defendant and my brother entering the motel on the day of the incident, it does not look like they planned a joint suicide out of tender love."

On the other hand, A has consistently denied the murder charge throughout the trial, claiming she tried to commit joint suicide with her boyfriend.

A stated, "I was influenced by my boyfriend's worries and his talk of suicide, and attempted joint suicide thinking I could not live without him," and "It is absolutely not murder. I blame myself for not persuading my boyfriend more at that time and for surviving alone."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.