Police Review Psychopath Evaluation for Jeon Joo-hwan in 'Sindang Station Stalking Murder Case'

Police Conducted Emergency Search of Jeon Juhwan's Bulkwang Station Office Last Year... Unable to Find Evidence

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] The police plan to consider conducting a psychopathy test on Jeon Ju-hwan, the suspect in the Sindang Station stalking murder case.

On the 20th, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced that the Behavioral Analysis Team plans to conduct an interview with Jeon Ju-hwan within the day.

Through the interview process, the police will decide whether to administer the 'PCL-R,' commonly known as the psychopathy test. The PCL-R is a psychological assessment tool used to determine the presence of mental disorders in criminals and is utilized in courts and other legal settings. It consists of 20 items scored out of 40 points, with a score of 25 or higher indicating psychopathy.

Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that the police conducted an emergency search and seizure of the suspect's office near Bulgwang Station in Seoul on October 8 last year. Jeon Ju-hwan was accused on October 7 last year by the victim of violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment, etc. of Sexual Crimes (using cameras for filming and threatening with filmed materials). At that time, the police made an emergency arrest of Jeon Ju-hwan and carried out the emergency search and seizure. Subsequently, they obtained a warrant for a follow-up search and seizure. However, they stated that no evidence related to the crime was found in the office, and no items were seized.

Jeon Ju-hwan is suspected of stabbing and killing the victim in front of the women's restroom at Sindang Station in the Seoul subway around 9 p.m. on the 14th. Although he claims the act was impulsive, citing depression and other issues, the police are focusing on it being a premeditated crime. This is based on the fact that on the day of the crime, he visited Jeungsan Station and Gusan Station in Seoul to check the victim’s workplace by accessing the company network, wandered around the victim’s former residence, and waited for over an hour wearing a disposable shower cap on his head. Accordingly, the police applied the charge of retaliatory murder under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes against Jeon Ju-hwan.

The court issued an arrest warrant for Jeon Ju-hwan on the 16th, citing concerns over evidence tampering and flight risk. It is reported that just before the warrant hearing, Jeon Ju-hwan stated, "There was no agreement with the victim regarding the trial," and "My life is over anyway." The day before, the police held a personal information disclosure review committee and decided to publicly release Jeon Ju-hwan’s face, name, age, and other personal details.