Jung Jae-hwan, Who Walked Naked After Killing Friend, Requests Psychological Evaluation in First Trial

Jung Jae-hwan (24), who has been indicted on charges including murder for brutally killing a friend while intoxicated, requested a psychological evaluation during his first trial.

The 12th Criminal Division of the Daegu District Court (Presiding Judge Jeong Han-geun) held the first trial today (the 26th) for Jung Jae-hwan (24), who was detained and indicted on charges of stabbing a friend dozens of times to death with a weapon while drunk.

Wearing a khaki prison uniform throughout the seven-minute trial, Jung kept his hands neatly placed on his legs and his head bowed, never lifting his face even once.

The defense attorney stated, "Looking solely at the facts of the indictment, the defendant's crime is not of a general type and shows many abnormal aspects. Regarding the motive for the crime revealed by the prosecution, it is noted that he 'attacked for unknown reasons,' meaning the background of the crime remains somewhat unclear."

The attorney emphasized, "Given that his behavior of wandering outside in a heavily intoxicated state after the crime was also an abnormal situation, we request an evaluation of the defendant's mental state."

The court responded that it would decide whether to conduct a separate psychological evaluation later, taking into account the progress of the trial based on the evaluation results previously requested by investigative authorities.

The court also stated, "The victim's side has submitted petitions calling for severe punishment amounting to 4,000 pages," and asked them to "refrain from submitting additional petitions for the smooth progress of the trial."

It was decided that the victim's legal representative would submit an opinion in writing, and the bereaved family would make a statement at the next trial.

Jung was handed over to trial on charges of stabbing a friend dozens of times with a weapon for unknown reasons while drinking with friends, including the victim, at his home in Hayang-eup, Gyeongsan, Gyeongsangbuk-do, around 3:40 AM on the 4th of last month.

He was also indicted on charges of assault (bodily injury) for battering another friend who was present at the scene that day.

Jung was additionally indicted on charges of assault for striking the deceased victim in the face once on May 16 after the victim tried to break up a fight between friends, telling the victim, "Let them go all the way."

Investigative authorities also applied charges of theft, stating that after the crime, Jung stole two banana-flavored milks (worth approximately 3,600 won) from a nearby convenience store.

The next trial is scheduled for 10:40 AM on the 11th of next month.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.