Did Goyujeong Really Almost Get Sexually Assaulted... 'The Horrific Scene' Is Known [Han Seung-gon's Case Notebook]

Goyujeong Attempts to Rape Ex-Husband... Accidentally Wields Weapon
Police: Goyujeong Stabbed Victim at Least 15 Times
Some Suggest Possible 'Overkill' in Revenge Crime
Criminal Psychologist: "Goyujeong May Have Harbored Grudge and Planned Crime Against Ex-Husband"

The prosecution demanded the death penalty for Ko Yu-jeong (37), who was arrested and indicted on charges of murdering her ex-husband and stepson, at the sentencing hearing held at the Jeju District Court on the 20th. The photo shows Ko Yu-jeong arriving at the Jeju District Court in September last year for her third trial. Photo by Yonhap News.

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] "What is this cursed body? If only I had given it all away (when I killed my ex-husband), nothing would have happened."

This was a statement made by Ko Yoo-jeong (37), who was arrested and indicted for the 'Jeju Ex-Husband Murder Case,' during her final testimony in the Jeju court on the 10th. She claimed that the motive for killing her ex-husband was an accidental incident that occurred while trying to prevent a sexual assault attempt.

Ko Yoo-jeong has repeatedly made the same claim. But is her claim really true?

Looking only at the horrific crime scene, there are indications that the crime may have stemmed from a kind of grudge rather than being accidental. According to the crime scene analysis by the National Forensic Service (NFS), Ko Yoo-jeong stabbed the victim at least 15 times with a weapon.

◆ Ko Yoo-jeong: "When the weapon was in my hand, I stabbed with all my strength"... NFS confirms at least 15 stabbings

In the trial held on September 30 last year, when asked about the situation at the time of killing her ex-husband, Ko Yoo-jeong said, "Since the day the incident happened until this moment, I have been living in a surreal nightmare with a devastated heart," adding, "The miserable and nightmarish time is reality. If I die, no truth can be revealed, so I endure and persevere."

Regarding the situation on the day of the incident, May 25 last year, she claimed, "My child asked me to cut a watermelon, and I was washing off the pesticides on the watermelon with water and trying to cut it. At that moment, I suddenly felt strange and turned around to see that the person was right behind me, touching my chest and waist," alleging that her ex-husband tried to sexually assault her.

Ko Yoo-jeong continued, "Everything I am saying is the truth," and tearfully said, "I am now clearly another person's woman, so I thought he would stop." She explained the accidental crime process, saying that when she resisted and tried to avoid him, her ex-husband chased her with a knife, saying, "How dare you remarry? Do you think you can be happy alone?"

Ko Yoo-jeong (36), who was arrested on charges of murdering her ex-husband, is seen leaving the statement recording room at Jeju Dongbu Police Station on the afternoon of June 6 last year, bowing her head deeply as she moves to the detention center.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

She added, "I think every day about what would have happened if I had stayed still as he said. If I had stayed still, it wouldn't have turned out like this," and said, "He bled a lot and collapsed while chasing me. Experiencing both sexual assault and death at the same time, I was not normal."

Regarding the process of wielding the weapon, she said, "I couldn't resist or comply with the sexual assault attempt because I was afraid the child would notice," and "When the weapon was in my hand, I stabbed with all my strength." She then said, "I regret not staying still for a moment. Then I wouldn't have been called a murderer."

Regarding the authorities' claim that the crime was planned, she argued, "It's terrifying that all my everyday actions are being portrayed as preparations related to this case. The prosecutor questioned me about my searches, shopping, pension reservations, and photo shoots as evidence of a planned crime, but that's not true," insisting it was not a premeditated crime.

Also, in court on the 10th, when the judge continued to question her about the death of her stepson, she said, "I feel so frustrated that I want to swap brains with the judge."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

◆ Possibility of horrific 'overkill' due to intense grudge... Bereaved families faint

Considering Ko Yoo-jeong's claim that she wielded the weapon impulsively to escape the risk of sexual assault and the results of the crime, her claim is hard to understand.

The outcome is too horrific to be seen as an impulsive crime. For this reason, some have raised the possibility of so-called 'overkill.'

Overkill refers to a perpetrator who harbors extreme resentment and anger toward the victim and commits murder deliberately. In this process, the perpetrator inflicts more harm than necessary.

According to the Jeju Dongbu Police Station, which investigated the case, Ko Yoo-jeong's crime method was quite brutal.

According to the National Forensic Service's crime scene analysis submitted as evidence at the 6th trial held on November 4 last year, Ko Yoo-jeong stabbed the victim 15 times in three places: 9 times in the dining room, 5 times in the kitchen, and 3 times at the entrance.

Considering the size, shape, and location of the bloodstains scattered at the scene, the authorities believe that the victim was drugged with sleeping pills and was in a dazed state when ambushed, fled to the entrance, and Ko Yoo-jeong chased and continued stabbing the victim.

During the search of the pension, the police found a large amount of bloodstains believed to belong to the victim, the ex-husband. The bloodstains were reportedly found in significant quantities on the bathroom floor, living room, kitchen, and other indoor locations.

Also, if the ex-husband was killed with a weapon and the body dismembered, this act likely took place in locations where bloodstains were detected, such as the bathroom floor. While there was an intention to destroy evidence of the crime, it is also possible that she vented her anger during this process.

The bereaved family of the victim, the ex-husband, reportedly fainted upon hearing about Ko Yoo-jeong's crime method. In a statement on June 4 last year, the family expressed their outrage, saying, "There is clear evidence that the crime was premeditated, and the crime was so brutal that we fainted upon hearing about it through the police."

On June 1st last year, at around 10:32 AM, Ko Yoo-jeong was urgently arrested by detectives from the Jeju Dongbu Police Station on charges including murder in an underground parking lot of an apartment in Cheongju, Chungbuk. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Experts have analyzed that Ko Yoo-jeong likely planned the crime meticulously. They also inferred that the brutal crime might be related to the death of the child of her remarried husband.

Professor Lee Soo-jung of the Department of Criminal Psychology at Kyonggi University analyzed in a JTBC interview in June last year, "There is a possibility that Ko harbored a grudge against her ex-husband and planned the crime." She added, "It appears that she meticulously planned the crime in advance, including preparing a vehicle."

Regarding Ko Yoo-jeong's consistent claim that the crime was accidental, experts analyzed that it might be a kind of intentional strategy.

Profiler Bae Sang-hoon, who appeared on MBC Radio on the 10th, analyzed, "(Ko Yoo-jeong's statement) is an emotional appeal saying 'My body is frustrated, I want to express my frustration.'" He emphasized, "Although she is saying irrational things, from the court's perspective, it is also possible to think, 'How frustrated must she be to say such things when the judge is talking?'"

Profiler Bae analyzed that this statement by Ko Yoo-jeong "makes the defendant seem like a fool, raising doubts like 'Would such a person commit murder?' Although this might not be appropriate in a jury trial, since the trial judge is human, this strategy might work."

Ko Yoo-jeong was tried for stabbing and killing her ex-husband Mr. Kang at a pension in Jocheon-eup, Jeju City, between 8:10 p.m. and 9:50 p.m. on May 25 last year, dismembering and disposing of the body (charges of murder, corpse mutilation, and concealment). She was also additionally indicted for the murder of her stepson following the ex-husband's murder.

The Jeju District Prosecutors' Office demanded the death penalty at the trial held on the afternoon of the 20th last month, calling it an "extreme disregard for human life murder." The first trial sentencing for Ko Yoo-jeong is scheduled for 2 p.m. on the 20th at the Jeju District Court.