Goyujeong Completely Denies Premeditated Crime at Appeal Trial Decision Hearing
Denies Case Plausibility with Blender, Portable Gas Burner, Gomtang Pot, etc.
Claims Ex-Husband's Murder Was Not Planned but Impulsive
Prosecutors: "Is Death Penalty Alone Too Lenient...?"
Goyujeong: "Prosecutor, I'm Not That Foolish"
On the afternoon of the 20th, Ko Yoo-jeong, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in the first trial for the charge of murdering her ex-husband, is coming out of the Jeju District Court to board the prison transport vehicle. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Ko Yoo-jeong (37), who was indicted on charges of brutally murdering her ex-husband, admitted to the charges but consistently made excuses regarding the circumstances of the murder.
In particular, she emphasized that the tools presumed to have been used during the dismemberment of the body and the background of their purchase were completely unrelated to her crime. This is interpreted as a repeated assertion of her previous claim that the crime was not premeditated with the preparation of tools in advance.
Ko Yoo-jeong repeatedly emphasized that the crime was not planned but occurred impulsively, referring to the situation at the time of the incident in response to the prosecution’s demand for the death penalty.
At the appellate trial sentencing hearing held on the 17th at the Jeju branch of the Gwangju High Court Criminal Division 1 (Presiding Judge Wang Jeong-ok), Ko Yoo-jeong claimed that the items presumed to be the tools used in the crime were unrelated to the case.
When asked by the court about the background of the items purchased at the time of the incident, such as a portable gas burner, Ko Yoo-jeong answered, "I have a habit of buying things all at once, so I ended up buying several cooking utensils. I also bought a gomtang pot thinking my mother could use one."
Ko Yoo-jeong, who was arrested and indicted on charges of murdering her ex-husband and stepson, arrived at the Jeju District Court on the 20th afternoon to attend the first trial sentencing hearing and is getting off the transport vehicle. [Image source=Yonhap News]
The items mentioned by the court are evidence presumed to have been used in the process of dismembering the body after Ko Yoo-jeong murdered her ex-husband Kang Mo (36 at the time of death).
Earlier, the police secured weapons, a blender, a portable gas burner, and a gomtang pot as evidence of a premeditated crime after arresting Ko Yoo-jeong.
In particular, regarding the blender, Ko Yoo-jeong explained, "I bought it from a home shopping channel because my current husband had a dream of running a restaurant with his retirement money, and knowing that I have cooking skills, he bought it in case I would be in charge of cooking."
When the court asked again, "Did you use these items in the crime?" Ko Yoo-jeong firmly denied, saying, "Those were absolutely not used in the crime," and added, "There were many things in the car at the time of arrest because I considered the car a kind of refuge after fighting with my current husband."
Ko Yoo-jeong repeatedly emphasized that the circumstances at the time of the incident were impulsive. The court asked why the watermelon, which was being cut at the time, was found intact.
In response, Ko Yoo-jeong said, "I was about to cut the watermelon at the pension when the child's father approached," and claimed, "Your Honor would know. The last person my ex-husband called was a Chinese woman he met at a nightclub. I don’t know what the call reminded him of, but he tried to make contact."
She continued, "Maybe because I am a conservative woman, I could not accept my ex-husband’s attempt to make contact," and emphasized, "He overpowered me with his large body, and while he was focused, I was able to escape the situation with a knife I had in my hand."
In her final statement, Ko Yoo-jeong said, "I did not kill ○○ (stepson). If one of the two people in the house is the culprit, it would be the other person (current husband)," and added, "No one believes me. I even tried to die, but I survived because of the remaining 'kid.' Even if I die, I want to clear my grievance. Please believe me," appealing tearfully. However, she also said to her ex-husband and the bereaved family, "I apologize. I will pay the full price for my sins."
The prosecution demanded the death penalty for Ko Yoo-jeong (37), who was arrested and indicted on charges of murdering her ex-husband and stepson, at Ko's sentencing hearing held at the Jeju District Court on the 20th. The photo shows Ko Yoo-jeong arriving at the Jeju District Court for her third trial in September last year. [Image source=Yonhap News]
She showed hostility toward the prosecution. Ko Yoo-jeong said, "Prosecutor, I am not that stupid," and insisted again that it was an impulsive crime, not a planned one, saying, "It is unreasonable to plan to kill a stronger person (ex-husband) with a weapon while visitation rights, which the court knows about, were ongoing, and the incident happened because of unwanted (sexual) contact initiated by the ex-husband."
Meanwhile, the prosecution demanded the death penalty for Ko Yoo-jeong, as in the first trial. The prosecution stated, "Ko committed a serial murder crime by killing a son in front of his father and a father in front of his son," and requested the death penalty, citing the excessively brutal method of the crime and the complete lack of remorse during the trial.
The prosecution also added the opinion, "I wonder if the sentence would be too light with only the death penalty for the defendant."
Ko Yoo-jeong was indicted for stabbing and killing Kang Mo with a weapon between 8:10 p.m. and 9:50 p.m. on May 25 last year at a pension in Jocheon-eup, Jeju City, dismembering the body, and disposing of it in the sea and waste disposal facilities.
She is also suspected of killing her stepson by climbing on his back while he was sleeping face down on a bed at her home in Cheongju, Chungbuk, on March 2 of the same year, pressing his face into the bed with her hands.
The appellate trial sentencing hearing for Ko Yoo-jeong is scheduled for July 15.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
