'Brave Detective5' highlighted the full story of the Lee Eun-hae murder case and the killings of a mother and child in a residential area, revealed through persistent investigation.
Episode 1 of T-cast E Channel's 'Brave Detective5' (directed by Lee Ji-seon), which aired on the 27th, featured mainstay Ahn Jung-hwan and Kwon Il-yong alongside new MCs Kwak Sun-young and Yoon Dujun. Also appearing were Kim Myeon-jung, head of Detective Division 2 at Incheon Michuhol Police Station, former superintendent Yoon Oe-chul of the scientific investigation unit (KCSI), Superintendent Kim Jin Soo, and former Head of Team Kim Hee-sook of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's scientific investigation unit, who revealed investigation logs.
The day's first case began with Detective Kim Myeon-jung returning to keep a promise he made during season 2 that he would "talk again when the (case) results come out." Detective Kim said, "This is the first time I've told the full arrest story," and recounted the full facts of the case.
The case originated in 2022 from a fatal traffic accident that had occurred 12 years earlier. Questions were raised that the driver's girlfriend, who had been riding in the vehicle, may have committed a premeditated murder for insurance money, prompting a need for reinvestigation. With the victim's identity not even clear, only the suspect woman's name was known, and investigators checked accident records in neighboring areas but did not find the woman on any passenger lists.
Four years after the incident, suspicions emerged that the woman was linked to another boyfriend's death covered by insurance. The two had been traveling in Pattaya, Thailand, when the boyfriend drowned while snorkeling. At the time, the insurance was paid to the bereaved family, but investigators found that both cases involved the same person. The suspect was identified as Lee Eun-hae, who had shocked Korea by diving her husband into a valley in Gapyeong and killing him.
After the first investigation, Lee Eun-hae went into hiding with her lover and accomplice Cho Hyun-su. But whether proposing that the victim dive constituted a crime was contentious, so arrest was not easy. Cho Hyun-su testified that he attempted a rescue and suffered hypothermia, and with no external injuries and drowning determined as the cause of death, it was difficult to file charges. However, at the victims' families' request, a reinvestigation was conducted and the situation was overturned. It was confirmed that Lee Eun-hae had claimed 800 million won in insurance, and with evidence of a previous attempted murder added, a clear motive for the crime emerged.
Notably, the victim had been a researcher at a major company but became financially dependent after dating Lee Eun-hae for one year, opening a negative-balance bank account and sending his entire salary. A message to an acquaintance asking "Please send just 3,000 won so I can buy ramen and bottled water" added to the tragedy. After registering their marriage, Lee Eun-hae adopted a daughter but did not live with the victim and reportedly lived with another man who was not Cho Hyun-su. In response, Ahn Jung-hwan said, "This is truly the worst, and this is the first time we've seen a perpetrator like this on 'Brave Detective,'" expressing anger.
Detective Kim Myeon-jung analyzed existing investigation materials while tracking people around the suspect and family members. He especially sought out and persuaded Lee Eun-hae's father, during which various circumstances related to the case were revealed. Investigators narrowed the probe by analyzing the couple's relationship as well as their eating habits, coffee preferences, cigarette brands and even cat food types. During the investigation, they also confirmed that Cho Hyun-su was connected to a voice-phishing organization, and they detected circumstances in which Lee Eun-hae mentioned needing 300 million won to hire a lawyer, leading the team to track and raid the voice-phishing organization.
Suspicious behavior by Lee Eun-hae's father continued. He was seen trying to secure testimony to refute the attempted murder charge by, for example, checking in person at Jumunjin Market in Gangwon Province whether a vendor provided pufferfish entrails when sold. Detectives staked out the condo where the family was staying but did not find Lee Eun-hae, and they cooperated with overseas accommodation sites to track reservation information.
Among Lee Eun-hae's close friends, one initially refused to cooperate, but when it was confirmed that the friend had driven a car registered to an acquaintance through Ilsan en route to Yangju, they eventually testified that because Lee Eun-hae said she would kill herself, they had no choice but to get off at Samsong Station and then drop her off with Cho Hyun-su. Detective Kim Myeon-jung persuaded the father to convince them to turn themselves in to prevent accidents during the arrest, and he ultimately succeeded in speaking directly with Lee Eun-hae. She asked Detective Kim to come alone, and he used tact to share his location with juniors and succeeded in capturing the two three years after the incident.
The two lied throughout the trial. Lee Eun-hae vehemently denied that anyone would take another person's life for money, and Cho Hyun-su repeated his account of suffering hypothermia. However, Lee Eun-hae was sentenced to life imprisonment and Cho Hyun-su to 30 years in prison. After sentencing, it emerged that Lee Eun-hae had still claimed her husband's insurance, and those who helped her escape were reported to be acquaintances of Cho Hyun-su.
Next, the case introduced by KCSI was presented with former Head of Team Kim Hee-sook, who had carried out forensic investigations for 40 years. The case they introduced began in 2004 with a woman's emergency call reporting that her mother and brother were lying in their home bleeding. By the time authorities arrived, the victims had been dead for a significant time and had died from multiple stab wounds. Bloodstain analysis at the scene indicated the perpetrator had washed up after the crime, and footprints and a bloodstained jumper left at the scene identified the suspect as a man who wore size 285mm shoes.
The victims had gotten along well with those around them, making a revenge murder unlikely, and investigators checked all local ex-convicts but had difficulty finding the perpetrator. Amid stalled investigation, a tip to the police became a decisive clue. An intoxicated man reported that a junior had been in the neighborhood where the crime occurred and had said he killed someone when a person suddenly woke up while he was trying to steal money. Based on that tip, detectives identified and arrested a suspect. At the time of arrest, the suspect resisted with a weapon as he came out of a billiards hall but was taken into custody, and the victim's blood was found on the weapon and the suspect's shoes. It was revealed that the amount he stole was only 43,000 won, adding to the shock. He showed no remorse and offered the absurd justification and tears, saying, "When people live, they sometimes go through unwanted things." In response, Kwak Sun-young could not contain her anger, asking, "Why are you crying?" and "Why would you kill someone?" The perpetrator was ultimately sentenced to life imprisonment.
Meanwhile, 'Brave Detective5' 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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