'Real Doll' Discarded by Father Becomes Key Factor in Sentencing

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Reporter Kim Deok-hyeon from our legal team, who has been covering this case, is here with us.

Q. How is the evidence destroyed by Jang Yoon-gi's father being handled in court?

[Reporter Kim Deok-hyeon: The first trial for this case was held ten days ago. Jang Yoon-gi's legal counsel stated, "We will express our final opinion on whether the motive for the murder was sexual assault after consulting with Jang Yoon-gi at the next hearing." However, Jang had previously denied the sexual assault charges in a handwritten statement. This appears to be a strategy to avoid a life sentence, which is the minimum penalty for murder involving sexual crimes, compared to the five-year minimum for murder alone. Jang's ability to pursue this strategy seems to stem from the fact that his father, a serving police officer, destroyed key evidence of the sexual assault, including a 'real doll' and a mobile phone. As the prosecution and Jang's side are expected to continue their battle over the missing core evidence in future trials, it is necessary for the National Police Agency to conduct an internal inspection to clarify why the investigation team overlooked this aspect during the police investigation.]

Q. Will the pleas of the victim and the bereaved family lead to uncovering the full truth?

[Reporter Kim Deok-hyeon: Some reports today (July 2) cited a legal expert as saying, "It does not seem beyond common sense for a father to clean up his arrested son's studio apartment and organize his belongings after the evidence had already been secured." This perspective overlooks the fact that the 'real doll' and mobile phone, which the father intentionally discarded to hide his son's sexual crime, could be the decisive factor that significantly influences Jang Yoon-gi's sentence in court. Most importantly, it is a view far removed from the position of the bereaved family of the late Lee Chae-won, who have pleaded for the "heaviest possible punishment." Now that this case has finally come to light through our reporting, we will continue to cover the police inspection and Jang Yoon-gi's trial to ensure they are conducted properly and provide detailed updates.]

(Video reporting: Jung Gyeong-mun, Video editing: Shin Se-eun)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.