Clue to Proving Lee Gi-young's Cohabitant Murder: 'Bisanheun'

Could Not Find Cohabitant's Corpse but External Impact Bloodstains Found
"Even Without Finding the Body, Lee Gi-young May Be Convicted of Murder"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] 'Cast-off stains' that could indicate Lee Gi-young killed his cohabiting partner in her 50s were found at Lee's residence. Cast-off stains refer to blood spatter caused by external impact injuries on the body, which can be used to infer the intensity and force of the impact.

The police have been searching the area along Gongneung Stream in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, where Lee claimed to have disposed of the body of his cohabiting partner, Ms. A, for several days but have yet to find the body. Although Lee confessed to killing Ms. A, it has been difficult to prove the charges without direct evidence such as the body.

In this situation, on the 17th, the National Forensic Service confirmed that bloodstains found inside Lee’s apartment in Paju matched Ms. A’s DNA. Additionally, cast-off stains were discovered inside the house, from which Ms. A’s DNA was also detected.

Lee Ki-young, who was arrested on charges of murdering a taxi driver and his cohabitant, is explaining the scene to prosecution officials on the afternoon of the 6th near Gongneung Stream in Paju, Gyeonggi Province.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Could the cast-off stains serve as decisive evidence to prove Lee’s murder charges? Seung Jae-hyun, Senior Researcher at the Criminal Law Policy Research Institute, appeared on YTN News Rider on the 18th and explained, "Lee’s confession has no evidentiary value under Article 310 of the Criminal Procedure Act. However, now that cast-off stains have been found and proven to belong to the victim, Lee’s confession gains evidentiary value."

He added, "Through the evidentiary value and circumstantial evidence of the cast-off stains, if a high degree of probability beyond reasonable doubt can be demonstrated to the judge in court, Lee’s murder charge can be recognized even if Ms. A’s body is not found."

However, Senior Researcher Seung emphasized that giving up on finding Ms. A’s body should not be an option. He explained that if Lee retracts his confession in court, the cast-off stains alone might not be sufficient to prove the charges. He stressed, "Cast-off stains are only circumstantial evidence. Investigative agencies should not assume that the prosecution will be maintained solely on the confession and cast-off stains. They must conduct a strict and rigorous investigation based on the possibility that the confession could be retracted at any time."

Lee was arrested on charges of killing Ms. A, his landlord and cohabiting partner, at their residence in August last year, disposing of her body, and later luring a taxi driver in his 60s, who was involved in a minor accident while driving under the influence in December last year, killing him and hiding the body in a wardrobe.

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