Evidence Mounts Against Jang Yoon-gi: 'Bizarre Traces' Found in Recovered Chat Logs

Prosecutors have secured testimonies indicating that Jang Yoon-gi, the perpetrator of the Gwangju high school girl murder case, frequently spoke about "kidnapping a high school girl" as far back as his high school years.

The prosecution views this as evidence supporting the charge of rape and murder against Jang.

Prosecutors conducted a digital forensic analysis of a spare mobile phone Jang was carrying when he was apprehended by police on May 5. Through this, they restored social media conversations he had with a classmate starting from the winter break of his first year of high school in 2019.

The conversations reportedly included remarks by Jang such as, "I want to kidnap a high school girl" and "I can just kidnap her with a van."

The prosecution also summoned and questioned the high school classmate who was the recipient of these messages, securing a statement that "Jang frequently talked about kidnapping high school girls."

To prove Jang's intent, planning, and abnormal sexual perception regarding the sexual offense, the prosecution has requested two high school classmates and two colleagues from his time as a public service worker to testify in court.

Two days before murdering the high school girl, Jang stalked a Vietnamese woman and received a warning text message from the police. He then threw his mobile phone into a stream and switched to a spare phone without a SIM card that he had used in the past.

During the initial police investigation, he claimed the murder was "accidental" while hiding his intent to commit sexual assault. However, the old, empty phone he switched to ended up becoming the key evidence that revealed the rape and murder charges.

Furthermore, traces were found on this phone showing that after the crime, while in a location with Wi-Fi, Jang searched for terms such as "fainting by hitting the neck" and "blunt weapon."

Regarding this, it is reported that Jang stated, "I searched for those terms because I felt sorry for using a weapon."

During the police investigation, Jang claimed, "I stabbed the victim without knowing if it was a woman or a man." Later, during the prosecution's investigation, he reportedly stated, "I thought the victim was a female college student," and "I would not have committed the crime if I had known she was young."

Previously, when attending the warrant validity hearing held at the Gwangju District Court on May 7, Jang responded to reporters' questions about why he attacked the student and whether it was a premeditated crime by claiming, "I didn't know she was a student," and "I didn't plan it."

However, after it was revealed that the police had systematically covered up the connection to the sexual offense, Jang eventually admitted to all charges of rape and murder brought by the prosecution during his trial held on July 13.

Reported by Kim Minjeong | Video by Choi Gang-san | Graphics by Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.