Gwanaksan Sexual Assault Perpetrator Saw Articles on Sexual Assault and Murder Before Crime

Choi (30, male), who is accused of assaulting and sexually assaulting a woman near the Gwanaksan Dulle-gil trail, was found to have viewed articles containing keywords related to the crime such as 'knuckle' and 'sexual assault' prior to the incident.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 22nd, the Seoul Gwanak Police Station announced that forensic analysis of Choi's phone and computer revealed that he had viewed articles related to keywords such as knuckle, sexual assault, murder, and murder threats. The police also identified that Choi had visited websites related to games, web novels, and internet broadcasting.

Choi is accused of assaulting and sexually assaulting the female victim A near a park connected to the Gwanaksan Dulle-gil trail in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 17th. A was taken to the hospital emergency room for treatment but passed away on the 19th. Following A's death, the police changed Choi's charge from rape with injury to rape murder.

After confirming that Choi had viewed articles containing keywords closely related to the crime, the police are focusing their investigative efforts on proving the premeditation of the crime. The police secured a statement that Choi purchased the knuckle, the weapon used in the crime, via the internet in April for the purpose of rape, and that he chose the crime location because it was close to his residence, he visited frequently, and knew there was no CCTV. A police official stated, "We plan to make a comprehensive judgment along with the search history on portal sites currently being secured."

Most of the call records on Choi's phone were confirmed to be communications with family members via calls or texts. It was also confirmed that Choi received treatment for depression in 2015. Choi's family had previously claimed that although he received hospital treatment for depression, he did not undergo continuous treatment.

The police are also focusing on proving whether Choi had intent to murder. The police conducted an autopsy on A at the National Forensic Service (NFS) the previous day. According to the NFS's initial verbal opinion, A's direct cause of death was "hypoxic brain injury due to neck compression asphyxiation," meaning death by strangulation. The police stated, "Although subcutaneous scalp hemorrhage caused by external impact was observed, there was no brain hemorrhage, making it difficult to consider it as the direct cause of death."

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