Prosecution Seeks Acquittal for Yoon Seong-yeo in 'Lee Chun-jae 8th Case' Retrial

Yoon: "I Forgive the Investigating Officer... I Want to Start a New Life"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Sehee] The prosecution has requested the court to acquit Yoon Seong-yeo (53), the petitioner for retrial in the case of the 8th serial murder by Lee Chun-jae.

At the sentencing hearing held on the 19th, presided over by Judge Park Jeong-je of the Criminal Division 12 of Suwon District Court, the prosecution stated, "Since it has been clearly confirmed that he is not the real culprit, we hope for a verdict of not guilty," and requested an acquittal for Mr. Yoon.

The 8th serial murder case of Lee Chun-jae involved the death of Park (then 13 years old) on September 16, 1988, at her home in Jinan-ri, Taean-eup, Hwaseong-gun, Gyeonggi Province, where she was sexually assaulted while sleeping.

The prosecution said, "The evidence certifying guilt against the defendant was a confession made during the investigation at the time, and the forensic results from the National Forensic Service showing that the defendant's hair matched the hair found at the crime scene."

They added, "However, the defendant's confession was obtained through police violence and harsh treatment, which does not align with objective circumstances, and the testimony of Lee Chun-jae, who confessed to the crime, is highly credible," and "It was also confirmed that there were critical errors in the National Forensic Service's forensic report."

The prosecution apologized, saying, "As the final person responsible for the investigation, we bow our heads and apologize to the defendant and his family for the long 20 years of imprisonment." Prosecutors Lee Sang-hyuk (Judicial Research and Training Institute class 36) and Song Min-joo (class 42), who directly investigated the case and led the retrial, made this apology.

Attorney Park Jun-young, in his closing argument, said, "Detective Shim, who appeared as a witness in court, admitted to illegal arrest and detention, as well as violence and harsh treatment against the defendant, and frankly spoke about the illegality during the on-site inspection," and "Regarding the prosecution's opinion that the National Forensic Service's forensic report contained 'fabrication' rather than a serious error due to negligence, we also consider it fabrication."

During the defendant's examination, Mr. Yoon said about the investigating officers at the time, "I want to forgive them," and "Even if I spent 20 years wrongfully imprisoned, the Bible always mentions forgiveness. It says to forgive all wrongs a hundred or ten thousand times. I will forgive them."

He added, "After the trial ends, I want to start a new life as a good person," and "I will always live with a grateful heart."

The retrial for Mr. Yoon has been held 12 times in total since February, including two preparatory hearings, with 21 witnesses appearing, including Lee Chun-jae (57), who confessed to the crime.

On the 2nd, Lee Chun-jae appeared in court and reaffirmed that he committed a total of 14 murders, including 12 cases in Hwaseong during the 1980s and 1990s and 2 cases in Cheongju, putting an end to the controversy over the "real culprit."

Accordingly, the prosecution requested the court to acquit Mr. Yoon to clear his wrongful conviction.

The sentencing hearing is scheduled for the 17th of next month.

The 8th case of Lee Chun-jae occurred on September 16, 1988, in Jinan-ri, Taean-eup, Hwaseong-gun, Gyeonggi Province, where Park (then 13, a middle school student) was sexually assaulted and murdered.

Yoon, who was arrested as the suspect the following year, served 20 years in prison and was paroled in 2009. After Lee Chun-jae's confession, Yoon filed for a retrial in November last year, and the court accepted it in January this year, deciding to commence the retrial.

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