'Valley Murder' Lee Eun-hae and Jo Hyun-soo Sentencing Postponed... Court Says "Review of Charges Needed"

Defendants Lee Eun-hae and Jo Hyun-soo in the 'Valley Murder' case [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] The sentencing hearing for Lee Eunhae (31) and Jo Hyunsoo (30), who were indicted for the 'valley murder' case, has been postponed.

The 15th Criminal Division of the Incheon District Court (Chief Judge Lee Gyuhun) announced at the 16th hearing held on the 23rd for Lee and Jo, who were charged with murder and attempted murder, "We will set one more date and conclude the trial at the next hearing."

Accordingly, no sentencing hearing was held that day, and only additional evidence investigation and defendant questioning were conducted.

Before starting the defendant questioning, Chief Judge Lee asked the prosecution, "(The prosecution) retained 'murder by commission' as the main part of the indictment but reorganized the indictment by summarizing the situation after drowning and the defendants' actions," and asked, "You did not include 'murder by omission' even as an alternative charge; does this mean you are excluding it?"

The prosecution replied, "We view this case as murder by commission, but depending on the legal judgment, we do not exclude the possibility of establishing murder by omission."

'Commission' refers to directly carrying out an act prohibited by law, while 'omission' refers to failing to perform an act that one ought to do. Generally, when murder by commission is recognized as guilty, the sentence is much heavier than for murder by omission.

The prosecution explained, "Lee is the victim's spouse, and Jo is an accomplice who conspired in this case. Jo also took the initiative by jumping into the water himself, causing the victim to jump in as well."

Chief Judge Lee said, "Being a spouse does not automatically impose a duty to rescue," and added, "It is difficult to judge it as murder by omission just because they did not rescue."

He continued, "In that regard, shouldn't the indictment be reviewed again?" and ordered the prosecution, "Please submit a written opinion before the sentencing hearing from the perspective of the defendants' right to defense, clarifying what rescue duties the defendants had and how they could respond."

The sentencing hearing schedule for Lee and Jo is expected to be set after the defendant questioning concludes that day.

Lee was arrested and indicted on charges including the murder of her husband A (39 years old at the time of death) on June 30, 2019, at 8:24 p.m. in Yongsogye Valley, Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi Province, along with her lover Jo.

The prosecution judged that they killed A by forcing him, who could not swim, to jump from a 4-meter-high rock into a valley pool 3 meters deep without rescue equipment.

They are also accused of attempting to kill A earlier in February and May 2019 by feeding him food mixed with pufferfish blood or drowning him in a fishing pond.

The prosecution concluded that they planned the crime aiming for the 800 million won life insurance money taken out in A's name.

Lee and Jo disappeared before the prosecution's second investigation on December 14 last year and were arrested by the police in an officetel near Samsong Station in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi Province, four months later in April this year.

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