The process of solving a suspicious murder case through persistent investigation is depicted.

On the 12th episode of E Channel‘s ‘Brave Detectives 4’ (directed by Lee Ji-sun) that aired on the 29th, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Metropolitan Investigation Unit Medical Investigation Team Chief Superintendent Kang Yoon-seok, and the Scientific Investigation Unit (KCSI)‘s former Superintendent Yoon Oe-chul and Superintendent Kim Jin-soo appeared and revealed the investigation log that they solved themselves.

The first case started with a tip from an insurance investigator that a customer who had signed up for a 3.3 billion won life insurance policy died two months later, which was suspicious. The deceased was a 44-year-old woman who had received 100 million won from another insurance company. The older sister reported that her younger sibling was unconscious. The cause of death was cerebral hemorrhage, and since there was no evidence of murder, funeral procedures were held without an autopsy. However, the situation went in an unexpected direction as the appearance of the deceased did not match the information of the investigation team. The fact that the funeral was carried out in a hurry without even holding a funeral made it even more suspicious.

According to the funeral director, three people were present from the time of putting the body in the coffin to the cremation. They were the older sister and a man and woman who looked to be in their 40s, but they did not seem to be family. It was suspected that this was a case to collect insurance money. The investigation began with the younger sister and older sister, two men and two women, who were suspected of faking the death, as suspects. The younger sister, Im Jeong-hee (pseudonym), was a shaman who had worked in real estate planning in the past. The investigation team found it suspicious that the older sister used a public phone instead of a cell phone. It turned out that she had called Im Jeong-hee using someone else’s name.

Im Jeong-hee, who was arrested on an emergency basis, denied the incident, but in the process, it was revealed that she had sought out a target for the crime through two acquaintances. The investigation team confirmed through cell phone base stations that Im Jeong-hee was in a place where there were many homeless people at the time just before reporting the death. I searched the area thinking that they might have targeted homeless people without any connections, but without photos, the information about their appearance was not enough. Lim Jeong-hee did not reveal the identity of the body until the end and denied the murder charges. Above all, the fact that there were a total of 8 suspects involved in this case, including the main culprit, Lim Jeong-hee, her sister, and even the forensic scientist who identified the body, was shocking. Lim Jeong-hee was sentenced to 7 years in prison, her sister 3 years in prison, and the insurance agent 2 years.


Then, the scientific investigation team‘s case was introduced. The building manager of a multi-use building consisting of a bar, karaoke room, and one-room apartments reported that there was a burning smell but he could not identify where it was coming from. When a house on the third floor refused to open the door, they forced the door open and entered, but the smoke was thick. There were blankets and clothes piled on a mattress on the mezzanine, and a burnt cardboard box was placed on top. A lighter and a can of oil were also found next to it. After clearing away the accumulated debris, the body was found underneath. The fire had been partially extinguished after burning.

The detectives had a hunch that this was a violent crime. The victim’s entire face and neck were wrapped in clear tape, and when they removed it, it was so decomposed that it was difficult to tell if she was a man or a woman. The victim was a woman in her late 30s who lived in the studio apartment. Her underwear had been removed from her lower body, and there were dozens of knife wounds on her body. The culprit appeared to have returned to this house to commit arson after killing the victim.

The investigation team checked the time the flames rose through the CCTV of the building across from the victim‘s window, and then looked for someone who had used the stairs around that time on the CCTV of the karaoke room on the second floor. That’s how they found the person wearing a gray hoodie and tracked his whereabouts. In addition, through investigation, they heard that the victim had been worried because a close friend of hers had not paid back money. The victim had even said that he would negotiate with the friend a week before reporting the fire. The person who borrowed the money was a woman of the same age, who admitted to the detectives that she had borrowed 2 million won and met the victim, but later said that they ordered a late-night meal together at her house.

However, the address that the team chasing the suspect in the gray hoodie ultimately confirmed and the starting point that the reverse tracking team found were the same, and the only resident in the building who had a connection to the victim was the friend who had borrowed the 2 million won. After the arrest, the criminal continued to make excuses saying, “I’m also a victim,” and then said that the victim had slandered him for not being able to pay back the money, which angered people. Based on the criminal’s attitude, behavior, and verbal expression, the profiler suspected antisocial personality disorder and histrionic disorder. He was ultimately sentenced to life imprisonment.

Hong Se-young, Donga.com reporter, projecthong@donga.com