Lee Min-hyung, the suspect in the Rose Video murder case, has stated that he wants to clear his name.
On the 19th, SBS's 'Unanswered Questions' will track the secrets of the case involving Lee Min-hyung, who is known as the murderer of a video store owner 27 years ago.
A tragedy occurred on Saturday, January 3, 1998, at 3:10 p.m. at the Rose Video store in Daegu's Nam-gu, Dae-Myung 11-dong. The 30-year-old owner, who was watching the store while feeding her six-year-old youngest son jjajangmyeon, was killed by a mysterious visitor. The owner, who was stabbed 13 times, died within three hours, and the peaceful neighborhood was consumed by fear.
"At that time, a six-year-old boy ran to our store. Crying, he said a robber stabbed our mom..." - A neighboring resident
About two weeks prior, a series of murders had occurred in the nearby Jung-gu, raising suspicions that the video store murder was the work of the same perpetrator. However, with no fingerprints, DNA, or murder weapon found at the scene, the case appeared to be stalled. The only witness, the victim's six-year-old youngest son, saw a suspect in his twenties but could not remember specific details.
However, three days later, police released the suspect's identity to the media, claiming to have arrested him. The 20-year-old man with a youthful face was Lee Min-hyung, a deserter who had not returned for 52 days after taking leave from the military. He was apprehended two days after the incident near the crime scene during a random police check, where it was also revealed that he committed multiple thefts and robberies in Daegu after deserting and had killed the video store owner.
"Someone will know. Someone will know."" - Lee Min-hyung's confession after arrest
In front of the camera, Lee Min-hyung provided vague answers. However, during the investigation, he reportedly confessed to all the crimes. With testimony from a neighbor who remembered the suspect's clothing during the time of the crime and a cafe waitstaff who thought she saw Lee Min-hyung nearby, the military court sentenced him to death.
After being sentenced to life imprisonment in the second trial, Lee Min-hyung has been serving life for 27 years and 7 months. Now at 48 years old, he has relayed his voice from prison to the production team. He has confessed that he did not kill the owner, overturning his previous confession from 27 years ago. Wanting to apply for a retrial that may be unfavorable during the parole review, he questions why he is now proclaiming his innocence.
At the time, investigators remembered the 12 hours they spent apprehending Lee Min-hyung and extracting his confession as a fortunate miracle. They were able to solve a case that could have easily turned into an unsolved mystery due to a lack of physical evidence through his random apprehension and confession. What are the hidden secrets behind the 12 hours before Lee Min-hyung confessed? Did the suspect's description from three witnesses really match Lee Min-hyung?
SBS's 'Unanswered Questions,' covering the Rose Video murder case, will air today (19th) at 11:10 p.m.
[Photo] SBS 'Unanswered Questions'
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