"'Valley Murder' Suspect Lee Eunhae's 1600-Character Statement... 'Judge, Please Show Generosity'"
Published 21 Apr.2022 16:03(KST)
"If he intended to kill, why would we all have eaten the pufferfish blood?"
[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Lee Eun-hae (31), who was arrested by the prosecution as a suspect in the 'Valley Murder' case, reportedly submitted a handwritten statement to the court. Unlike her previous refusal to testify to the prosecution, she appealed her innocence to the trial court.
According to a Channel A report on the 20th, Lee Eun-hae submitted a statement of about two A4 pages (approximately 1,600 characters) to the judge during the detention warrant hearing the day before.
An active judge pointed out that her submission of a statement was "not usual." It is rare to submit such a statement at the detention warrant hearing stage, as it is usually submitted during the trial as a sign of remorse.
Lee Eun-hae devoted one-third of the two A4 pages of her statement to denying the first murder attempt using pufferfish poison. Earlier, the prosecution confirmed that Lee Eun-hae sent a message via Telegram to her accomplice Jo Hyun-soo (30) saying, "I put pufferfish blood in it, so why didn't it die?" and when questioned about this during the prosecution investigation in December last year, she fled the next day.
In her statement, she said, "It is true that we talked about very bad things," but added, "I bought pufferfish and entrusted the restaurant to prepare it as spicy fish stew and sashimi, and everyone without exception ate it deliciously." She then argued, "If I intended to kill, why would we all eat the food together? The restaurant never serves the poisonous parts even if the customer requests them."
Although she used words like 'remorse' and 'repentance,' it was an explanation for her four months of fleeing. She said that Jo Hyun-soo "was subjected to confinement and coercive investigation," and added, "Still, I am resentful of myself for running away out of fear." She wrote, "Fleeing was a momentary wrong choice. I deeply regret it."
She also added, "I said I would undergo investigation with a lawyer present because I was worried I might experience the same thing as Jo Hyun-soo, who was investigated without legal assistance and subjected to unfair treatment."
On the other hand, the valley incident was mentioned only once. Lee Eun-hae claimed it was an 'accident' that happened coincidentally, rather than an 'incident' with criminal probability. There was no mention at all of the deceased Yoon Mo.
Furthermore, Lee Eun-hae emphasized that she lived diligently day and night for two years after the incident and cooperated sincerely with the investigation until before her escape, writing, "If the judge grants me the rope of opportunity with broad mercy, I will not repeat wrong choices."
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