Exclusive: Evidence of Sexual Motive in Murder Case Destroyed by Perpetrator's Father, a Police Officer

[Anchor]

Jang Yoon-gi, who is accused of kidnapping and murdering a high school girl he had never met on a street in Gwangju last May with the intent of committing sexual assault, is currently on trial. However, our investigation has revealed that key evidence proving Jang's sexual offense charges was destroyed by his father, a serving senior police officer. This destruction of evidence was made possible because the police initially overlooked the evidence right in front of them.

Reporter Shin Yong-il has the exclusive report.

[Reporter]

In the early hours of May 5, 23-year-old Jang Yoon-gi kidnapped a high school student, identified as Lee Chae-won, in downtown Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, and brutally murdered her with a weapon.

Arrested 11 hours after the crime, Jang claimed it was an impulsive act, and the police forwarded the case to the prosecution on charges including murder, excluding sexual assault.

However, it has been confirmed that the police missed key evidence that would have proven the sexual motive during their initial investigation.

Although they identified several damaged sex dolls while searching Jang's residence, they failed to secure them. Shortly thereafter, Jang's father dismantled the dolls and disposed of them in various locations across Gwangju.

The father, who our investigation confirmed is a serving mid-level police officer working in the Gwangju area, was also found to have burned a mobile phone previously used by Jang Yoon-gi after the incident occurred.

Furthermore, the police failed to secure the SD card from the dashcam in Jang's vehicle. However, the prosecution later discovered the SD card during an additional search, which contained a recording of Jang telling an acquaintance, "I only feel sorry for the woman who appeared in front of me."

Through interviews with acquaintances, the prosecution also secured testimony that Jang had previously stated, "If my life is ruined, I will kidnap a high school girl in a van."

Based on these investigations, the prosecution concluded that the murder was sexually motivated. They changed the charges to include rape-murder and indicted him last month.

While the destruction of evidence by a family member is not punishable under current law, experts suggest that other charges could potentially be applied to the father's actions.

[Choi Yong-moon / Lawyer (Director of the Administrative Watch Center at People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy): It is worth reviewing whether this could constitute obstruction of official duties, as he interfered with the police's original investigation.]

It is reported that during the prosecution's investigation, Jang's father stated that he was "worried that his son's crime would be linked to sexual matters."

(Video Editing: Shin Se-eun, Design: Kim Min-young)

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[Anchor]

We will now ask Reporter Shin Yong-il from the legal team, who covered this case, for more details.

Q. Regarding the destruction of evidence by the police officer father, what is the police's explanation?

[Reporter Shin Yong-il: The police explained to our team that they discovered the sex dolls at Jang Yoon-gi's residence but did not seize them because they deemed them irrelevant to the crime. However, the prosecution determined that Jang had a sexual motive based on the fact that the chest and neck areas of the sex dolls were severely damaged by what appeared to be a weapon, as well as conversations with acquaintances regarding the crime. Since Jang's father, a serving police officer, admitted to destroying the evidence out of fear that his son would be linked to a sexual offense, the police investigation team's explanation is inevitably unconvincing. Furthermore, our investigation found that the prosecution discovered the dashcam SD card in the trunk of the same vehicle that the police failed to find. It is difficult for the police to avoid criticism that their initial investigation was highly inadequate, which prevented them from properly applying the charges against Jang Yoon-gi.]

Q. With the addition of sexual offense charges, has the punishment become stricter?

[Reporter Shin Yong-il: While it is the same murder charge, the statutory minimum sentence changes depending on the motive. In the case of general murder, which the police initially applied, the maximum penalty is the death penalty or life imprisonment, but the statutory minimum sentence is five years in prison. However, for rape-murder, to which the prosecution added sexual offense charges, the minimum sentence is life imprisonment. If the court finds him guilty, the only statutory penalties available for Jang Yoon-gi are life imprisonment or the death penalty.]

Q. Is Jang Yoon-gi's father, who destroyed the evidence, under police investigation?

[Reporter Shin Yong-il: We looked into this. As far as we are aware, there has been no separate investigation or internal inspection by the police. As mentioned in the report, since the destruction of evidence by a family member is not punishable under current law, the prosecution did not book the father as a suspect and only questioned him as a witness. However, there is criticism that since a serving police officer destroyed evidence for a police investigation, the appropriateness of his actions should be examined through internal inspections.]

(Video Editing: Yoon Tae-ho, Design: Kim Min-young)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.