"'Valley Murder' Suspects Eunhae Lee and Hyunsoo Jo Face First Trial Today"

Appointment of Defense Counsel Just Before First Trial Date...Attention to Opinions on Charges

Suspects Lee Eun-hae (31, left) and Jo Hyun-soo (30) in the "Valley Murder" case are entering the Incheon District Court in Michuhol-gu, Incheon, on the afternoon of April 19 to attend a pre-trial detention hearing. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jung-wan] The first trial of Lee Eun-hae (31) and Jo Hyun-soo (30), suspects in the 'Valley Murder' case, will be held today (the 3rd) at the Incheon District Court.

According to the Incheon District Court, the first trial of Lee and Jo, who were detained and indicted on charges of murder, attempted murder, and attempted violation of the Special Act on the Prevention of Insurance Fraud, will take place at 10:30 a.m. on the 3rd. The case has been assigned to the 15th Criminal Division, with Chief Judge Lee Gyu-hoon presiding.

Originally, the trial of Lee and Jo was scheduled for the 27th of last month, but it was postponed after their privately hired defense attorneys submitted a request to change the trial date three days before the scheduled date, on the 24th of last month. They initially maintained the appointment of court-appointed public defenders assigned during the pre-trial detention hearing without hiring private attorneys, but hired private defense attorneys just before the first trial date.

Lee and Jo initially denied the charges during the prosecution. However, the prosecution indicted them on charges of murder by commission rather than omission. Attention is focused on what opinions they will express in court regarding the charges on the day of the first trial.

The prosecution concluded that the reason Lee’s husband, Mr. A, who could not swim, died after diving without basic equipment was due to Lee’s gaslighting. They determined that Mr. A was murdered according to a thorough plan by Lee and her accomplice Jo, and concluded that applying the charge of murder by commission is possible.

Previously, Lee and Jo were indicted for attempting to kill Mr. A (39), Lee’s husband, in February 2019 at a pension in Yangyang-gun, Gangwon Province, by feeding him food mixed with pufferfish testes and blood, but the attempt failed due to a sublethal dose.

They are also accused of attempting to kill Mr. B, who could not swim, by drowning him at a fishing spot in Yongin in May of the same year, but the attempt failed when an acquaintance intervened and Mr. A came out of the water. Subsequently, they are also charged with causing Mr. A’s death by making him dive without basic equipment at Yongsogye Valley in Gapyeong-gun in June 2019.

Lee and Jo fled when the prosecution’s investigation intensified. The prosecution switched to a public manhunt on March 30 of this year, three months after their escape, formed a joint police-prosecution task force on April 6, and apprehended the two on April 16.

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