"Initial Investigation Disappointing" Bereaved Families Urge Truth Clarification Following the Arrest of Lee Eunhae and Jo Hyunsoo

Suspects Lee Eun-hae (left) and Jo Hyun-soo in the "Valley Murder" case are being escorted to the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office in Michuhol-gu, Incheon, on the afternoon of the 16th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] With the arrest of suspects Lee Eunhae and Jo Hyunsoo in the 'Valley Murder' case, the bereaved families expressed regret over the initial investigation and urged for a clear truth-finding and punishment.

According to Yonhap News on the 16th, the sister of the victim, Mr. A, shed tears she had been holding back upon hearing the news of their arrest. Mr. A’s brother-in-law said, "I was having lunch near the house when I saw an article posted on an internet cafe," adding, "My wife, who was with me, immediately showed tears at the sudden news and is mentally struggling a lot," to Yonhap News.

The bereaved families emphasized that a thorough investigation into the motives and circumstances of Lee and Jo’s crimes is necessary to clear the victim’s grievances. Mr. A’s brother-in-law said, "There is talk only about the 800 million won insurance money, but at that time, my brother-in-law’s personal assets, including jeonse deposit and savings, were roughly 700 million won," adding, "Please clearly reveal the reasons why my brother-in-law ended up with excessive debt and personal rehabilitation, and whether Lee and Jo embezzled the assets and where they spent them."

He also added, "There are suspicions that the money taken from my brother-in-law by Lee and Jo flowed into criminal funds such as cyber gambling," and "A thorough follow-up investigation is needed regarding this as well."

He further emphasized, "I hope they receive the maximum sentence appropriate for the crimes they committed," and "I sincerely hope the court makes a wise judgment."

In particular, the bereaved families expressed regret over the inadequate initial investigation of the case.

Previously, when victim Mr. A died in June 2019, the Gapyeong Police Station in Gyeonggi Province closed the case as a simple accidental death without finding any particular suspicion. Later, through a tip from an acquaintance of the bereaved family, the Ilsan Western Police Station reopened the investigation in November of the same year, and in December last year, Lee and Jo were handed over to the prosecution on charges of murder and attempted insurance fraud.

Regarding this, former Jeonju District Prosecutor Ahn Mihyun (then a prosecutor at Uijeongbu District Prosecutor’s Office), who had closed the case at the time, personally apologized, saying, "I have nothing to say to the victim and the bereaved family even if I had ten mouths."

On the 15th, Prosecutor Ahn stated on her social media, "Due to my incompetence, the truth about the victim’s unjust death was almost buried."

Prosecutor Ahn confessed, "It is shameful, but when this case was reported in the media, I guessed that I, who was the warrant prosecutor at Uijeongbu District Prosecutor’s Office at the time, must have been in charge of the case considering the location and time of the incident," adding, "Since I only received the records, I never heard the testimonies of the people who were at the scene on the day of the incident and foolishly made a decision to follow the police’s opinion to close the investigation, being buried in paperwork."

Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Investigation Unit of the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency announced that at around 12:40 p.m. on the 16th, they arrested Lee Eunhae and Jo Hyunsoo, who are suspected of murder and attempted murder, at an officetel in Deogyang-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi Province.

Lee Eunhae is suspected of killing her husband, Mr. A, on June 30, 2019, at Yongsogye Valley in Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi Province, together with her lover and accomplice Jo Hyunsoo. They are also suspected of attempting to kill Mr. A in February and May of the same year by feeding him food mixed with pufferfish poison and by drowning him in a fishing spot.

The prosecution believes that they committed the crime aiming for the 800 million won life insurance money under Mr. A’s name.

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