'Triangle Family Murder' Kim Taehyun Repeatedly Claims Accidental Crime in Trial

Suspect Kim Taehyun, accused of breaking into an apartment in Nowon-gu, Seoul, and killing a mother and her two daughters, is being transferred to the prosecution at Dobong Police Station in Seoul on the 9th. Photo by Kang Jinhyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] Kim Tae-hyun (25), who was arrested and indicted on charges of murdering three women in a mother-daughter trio at an apartment in Nowon-gu, Seoul, repeatedly claimed in court that his killings were impulsive acts.

The Criminal Division 13 of the Seoul Northern District Court (Presiding Judge Oh Kwon-cheol) held the second trial session on the 29th afternoon for Kim, who was indicted on charges of murder, special trespassing, and violation of the Minor Offenses Act.

During the trial, the prosecution disclosed Kim’s statements to the investigative authorities after his arrest regarding the circumstances and motives of the crime. According to the prosecution, when asked whether he knew in advance if family members were at home during the crime, Kim stated, "I knew there was a younger sister of the victim, but I did not know there were no male family members and found out after the crime," adding, "Even if there had been a male, I intended to subdue him."

It was reported that Kim argued during the prosecution’s investigation that he did not intend to kill the entire family. Regarding why he did not leave or avoid the crime scene even after killing the first victim, the younger sister, he said, "I thought I could no longer escape and that I would be caught, so I had no choice but to continue committing the crime."

Regarding his statement during the police investigation after discharge from the hospital that he had intended to kill the entire family, Kim changed his story, saying, "After being discharged from the hospital, I was not feeling well and wanted to finish the investigation quickly, so I answered 'yes' to all questions." He said he chose the house as the crime scene because he could not think of any other place.

Kim’s defense attorney also argued that since Kim prepared blue tape as a tool for the crime, he did not intend to kill A’s family but aimed to subdue them. They also cited a psychological analysis result indicating that Kim’s statement denying any premeditated plan to kill all the victim’s family members was not false. The defense claimed, "There was also an opinion that Kim truly intended to kill himself, considering that he attempted suicide after the crime and did not flee."

Kim is accused of visiting an apartment in Junggye-dong, Nowon-gu, Seoul, on March 23 and sequentially murdering the three women in the mother-daughter trio. He committed this crime because A, whom he met through an online game last November, refused to meet and did not respond to his contact. Kim Tae-hyun’s third trial session is scheduled for the 19th of next month.

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