The full story behind an infamous murder 19 years ago, whose victim was found burned with the head and both arms mutilated, and the chilling group psychology hidden behind the accomplice crime were revealed.
On the 18th episode of T-cast E Channel Brave Detective 5, which aired at 9:50 p.m. on the 28th, detective Won Jong-yeol, forensic scientist Kim Moon-young, former detective Park Mi-ok and Professor Lee Ho appeared and, after persistent pursuit, revealed the shocking details of the case and behind-the-scenes investigation stories.
The first case revealed that day began with the body of an adult man found in a large trash bag in the bushes, discovered with the head and both arms mutilated. The cause of death was acute cyanide poisoning. The investigation team spotted the phone number on a note left at the scene that read "It is right next to the store. Please contact me if you go out" and traced it to the registered owner, a 20-year-old prestigious university student surnamed Kim (pseudonym).
Kim, who has an IQ of 140, was recognized for genius after passing the high school equivalency exam and sweeping various competitions and invention awards, and he resolutely denied the crime while presenting a perfect alibi. But the investigation team, suspicious of his overly flawless demeanor, searched his residence and recovered DNA from his 40-something maternal uncle who had lived with him, revealing the crime.
After going into hiding and then being caught by detectives, Kim handed over a 10-page statement. He said he had harbored resentment against his uncle, who habitually drank and tormented and humiliated him and his mother, and that he had prearranged tools and trash bags and carried out the crime meticulously. About the note that became the decisive clue, profiler Kwon Il-yong recalled, "It felt like a message left by the victim." Kim was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
In the continuing case segment "Unfinished case Q," the program probed the brutal residues of accomplice crimes. Cases committed by peers or accomplice groups were highlighted, including the murder of a 15-year-old female student found in a sack on the Han River and the mass killing of taxi drivers.
Experts pointed to "diffusion of responsibility" and "the power of the group" as causes of brutality in accomplice relationships. Professor Lee Ho analyzed, "Because responsibility is diffused," and profiler Kwon Il-yong noted, "The group's power of filling each other's fears strengthens cohesion."
Former detective Park Mi-ok warned strongly, "Dividing it by N does not mean the punishment is divided," and profiler Kwon Il-yong also struck a chord, saying, "We must keep asking why no one stopped it."
[Photo] Brave Detective 5
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