Defendant Jang Yun-gi in the "Gwangju high school girl murder" case admitted in court as evidence a conversation record with an acquaintance that supports circumstances of a kidnapping plan before the crime.
On the 26th, according to legal sources, the Gwangju District Court Criminal Division 13 (Presiding Judge Lee Jeong-ho) will hold the third trial for Jang Yun-gi, who was indicted and detained on charges including violation of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes (rape and murder) and attempted murder, at 10 a.m. on the 27th.
At this hearing, the parents of the victim, Lee Chae-won, 16, and a 17-year-old male cousin who was seriously injured by Jang Yun-gi's knife while trying to stop the crime at the time, are expected to appear as witnesses.
Prosecutors had initially secured statements and evidence that Jang Yun-gi had made remarks since high school such as "I want to kidnap a high school girl," and, to verify this, had applied to call as witnesses Jang's high school classmates and colleagues from his time as a social service agent.
However, after Jang Yun-gi admitted as evidence a conversation log with an acquaintance showing circumstances of a kidnapping plan, the witness examinations for them were withdrawn.
The court is expected to conclude the evidence examination, including witness questioning, at the hearing on the 27th and proceed to defendant questioning at the next date.
Jang Yun-gi was indicted and detained on charges of killing the victim for a sexual crime purpose on a walkway in Wolgye-dong, Gwangsan District, Gwangju, at around 12:10 a.m. on May 5, and wielding a knife at a male student who ran over upon hearing the scream, causing serious injuries.
The indictment also includes charges of sexually assaulting a 26-year-old woman (Vietnam), who had been a part-time coworker, two days before the high school girl's murder, and committing sex crimes such as secretly photographing the body of a teenage girl during his time as a social service agent.
As allegations of favoritism—such as the background that Jang Yun-gi's father and uncle are incumbent mid-level police officers and the investigative team in charge destroyed evidence—came to light through supplementary prosecution investigations, fact-finding probes by both the prosecution and police are proceeding simultaneously.