'Brave Detective' depicts detectives' investigative accounts uncovering the brutal crimes of shameless criminals.
On the 23rd broadcast, Tcast E Channel's 'Brave Detective 4' (directed by Lee Ji-seon) episode 68 featured Busan Yeonje Police Station Criminal Division Sgt. Gu Young-jae, Korean National Police Agency National Office of Investigation (NOI) Women and Children Crime Investigation Division Cpl. Yoon Jeong-a, Gangbuk Police Station Violent Crime Team 3 Sgt. Lee Geon-ho, Gangbuk Police Station Investigation Team 4 Sgt. Park Su-beom, who appeared and disclosed case logs they personally solved. Singer Hanhae appeared as a guest.
The first case introduced that day took five years for investigative results to emerge; with no clear evidence, persistent pursuit revealed the reality of the murder. The son traveled to Boracay, Philippines with a friend and died, and while the bereaved were sorting personal effects they discovered insurance documents indicating a death benefit of about 700 million won, raising suspicions. In particular, suspicion grew because the beneficiary of the insurance was the friend Mr. Jang (alias) who had traveled with the son.
Mr. Jang said, "I drank until 2 a.m., fell asleep, and when I woke up in the morning I found my friend dead." The local Philippine death certificate listed acute cardiac arrest due to alcohol as the examiner's opinion, and the bereaved, without particular suspicion, asked Mr. Jang to at least take care of the remains, so the body was cremated locally without an autopsy. However, after the funeral Mr. Jang filed a civil lawsuit against the bereaved claiming a debt of 60 million won, and the insurance documents were also confirmed.
Instead, the investigation team analyzed the victim's account and call records and detected signs that 70 million won was withdrawn just before the victim's death, and they confirmed that the victim had confided to an acquaintance during his lifetime that "I'm troubled because of money I lent to a friend." Through CCTV and statements from local personnel, Mr. Jang's statements changed, and they also found that the position of the body when discovered and the time of rigor mortis did not match his explanation. A local employee said Mr. Jang "cried in front of people but went outside to laugh and joke." Notably, National Forensic Service analysis detected zolpidem components in the victim's clothing, and the victim had no history of being prescribed that drug.
The investigation found that Mr. Jang's wife, working as a nurse assistant, had been prescribed large amounts of zolpidem over a long period, and that the travel period overlapped with prescription dates. It also emerged that when a past fire at the one-room where the victim lived raised concerns about the security deposit, Mr. Jang exploited that to forge notarized documents without actual money transactions. Mr. Jang was sentenced to prison for fraud and forgery of private documents, but the investigation did not stop there.
Statements emerged that he tried to conceal beneficiary changes during the insurance process, and forensic analysis secured messages mentioning the possibility of receiving 700 million won if death was by asphyxiation. It was confirmed that Mr. Jang expected a large sum when filing the insurance claim during the investigation. The investigation team noted that in his handwritten statement he deliberately minimized matters related to the victim's death, and his psychopathy test results also exceeded the threshold. With consultation from a forensic scientist, the investigation team dismantled Mr. Jang's lies one by one; he was arrested again on murder charges upon release and sentenced to life imprisonment.
The second case introduced began with an urgent report from a man saying, "I think the downstairs grandmother has died." At the scene, a 78-year-old victim was found naked on a blanket with a pillow covering her face, and the cause of death was confirmed as asphyxiation. There were no signs of a struggle, but small amounts of blood were found on the pillow, blanket and the victim's clothes.
The decisive clue was male DNA detected on the victim's thigh, genitals and under her fingernails. National Forensic Service analysis suggested the DNA was likely from a South Asian male such as Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi. Detectives found a house about 50 meters from the victim's home where children who appeared to be of mixed Asian descent were coming and going. The husband of that household was Bangladeshi-born naturalized man Mr. Kim (alias) in his late 30s. The phone number given by his wife was registered to another foreigner, and it turned out that Mr. Kim was a seller of burner phones; a criminal record check revealed he had been investigated by police for robbery and injury among other charges.
Detectives confirmed scratches on Mr. Kim's face, and the collected DNA matched the scene DNA. He denied the charges, claiming DNA manipulation or that he had been sleeping at home. But another hidden mobile phone showed multiple call records on the day of the incident. The call partner was his mistress whom he met secretly from his wife, and after being told their relationship was over Mr. Kim was in an intense emotional state. The investigation team concluded that while making calls outside and seeking someone to vent his anger on, he happened upon and targeted the victim. Mr. Kim refused to enter the house during a crime scene reenactment and broke into tears. The court sentenced Mr. Kim to life imprisonment. He requested a citizen participation trial, but eight of nine jurors returned guilty verdicts. Regarding the citizen participation trial request, Kim Sunyoung said, "He never showed remorse," in anger, and Hanhae also criticized, "He used a shallow trick, literally."
'Brave Detective 4' airs every Friday at 9:50 p.m., and is also available on major OTT platforms such as Netflix, TVING and Wavve. <
[Photo] E Channel
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