'Valley Murder' Lee Eunhae Sentenced to Life Imprisonment...Court Recognizes Indirect Murder (Comprehensive)

Accomplice Jo Hyun-su Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison

Suspects Lee Eun-hae and Jo Hyun-soo in the 'Valley Murder' Case
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Lee Eunhae (31, female), who was indicted for the 'valley murder' case, was sentenced to life imprisonment by the court after being found guilty of 'indirect murder'.

The 15th Criminal Division of the Incheon District Court (Chief Judge Lee Gyuhun) sentenced Lee, who was indicted on charges including murder and attempted murder, to life imprisonment, and her accomplice Jo Hyunsoo (30, male) to 30 years in prison at the first trial sentencing hearing held on the 27th.

The court also ordered both of them to wear electronic location tracking devices (electronic anklets) for 20 years after completing their sentences.

The court judged that this case was not a 'commission murder' caused by gaslighting (psychological domination), but an 'omission murder' where the victim who fell into the water after diving was deliberately not rescued.

In law, a commission refers to directly performing a prohibited act, while an omission refers to failing to perform an act that should have been done. Usually, when murder by commission is recognized as guilty, the sentence is much heavier than murder by omission.

The court stated, "The defendants, who intended to receive 800 million won in life insurance money, attempted to kill the victim twice but failed, yet they did not give up and ultimately killed the victim," adding, "Considering the motive and method of the crime, the nature of the crime is extremely bad."

It added, "(At the time of the valley murder) they deliberately did not rescue the victim from the beginning and disguised it as an accidental death," and "It is essentially the same as murder by commission."

Earlier, at the sentencing hearing on the 30th of last month, the prosecution demanded life imprisonment for Lee and others, arguing, "Lee gaslighted her husband A (39 at the time of death), and since A, who could not swim, jumped from a 4-meter-high rock into a 3-meter-deep valley pool and died, it constitutes direct murder."

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