Taxi Driver's Daughter: "Lee Gi-young, After Killing Father, Withdrew Money from Account Leaving 'Father's Funeral' Note"

Raising Public Awareness by Posting Directly on Online Communities
"Life Imprisonment Instead of Death Penalty... It's Infuriating"

Lee Gi-young (32), who consecutively murdered his cohabiting partner and a taxi driver, was sentenced to life imprisonment in the first trial, prompting the daughter of the deceased taxi driver to express her outrage personally.

On the 20th, a post titled "I am the daughter of the taxi driver who was a victim of the Lee Gi-young murder case" was uploaded on an online community. The author, A, began the post by discussing the life sentence verdict handed down the previous day. He said, "I never thought that a murderer who killed two people would receive a sentence other than the death penalty," adding, "Our family is in a situation filled with grief and frustration."

A explained that his family had been extremely cautious about contacting the media for fear of interfering with the investigation or trial, but seeing how things were unfolding, he felt that staying silent was not the right choice and wanted to bring the case into public discussion, which led him to write the post.

KakaoTalk messages exchanged between Lee Gi-young, who impersonated a deceased taxi driver, and the taxi driver's wife [Image source=Online community capture]

A detailed the situation starting from December 25 of last year, when he reported his father's disappearance. He said, "My mother felt uneasy and suggested going to the police station because Lee Gi-young, who was pretending to be my father, was exchanging KakaoTalk messages but persistently avoided phone calls." He added, "Lee Gi-young lied throughout the KakaoTalk conversations with our family, saying he had caused a traffic accident resulting in a death and was handling the aftermath, so we never dreamed that the person we were talking to was not my father." He continued, "However, when we arrived at the police station and checked for accident records, we were told there was no such report, and from that moment, I realized something was terribly wrong. I experienced trembling hands and a pounding heart for the first time."

A said, "Eventually, we requested location tracking and filed a missing person report for my father, hoping he would return safely. But by noon, the police informed me of my father's death via phone. Even now, the shock of that day is indescribable. Christmas has become a horrific memory for our family," he said.

Transfer details of Lee Gi-young's account. The transfer memo reads 'Father's funeral'. [Image source=Online community capture]

A attached screenshots of KakaoTalk messages exchanged between Lee Gi-young, pretending to be his father, and his mother, as well as photos showing Lee Gi-young downloading the Toss application on the taxi driver's phone after murdering him and transferring the taxi driver's bank account balance to his own account. He wrote, "He killed someone else's father and then mockingly labeled the transfer as 'Father's funeral expenses' in the memo?a typical psychopath behavior." He added, "Seeing these things left me so shocked that I was speechless."

A also revealed that he submitted a petition to the court after the verdict and shared part of it. The petition stated, "In the first trial, the court considered the defendant's admission of guilt and the fact that he made a deposit as reasons for sentencing. Our bereaved family has consistently and clearly refused any settlement. We do not understand how a deposit that the victim did not receive can be a mitigating factor for the defendant's sentencing. Since we refused the settlement, we understand that the deposit should be returned to the defendant. We do not know who this formal deposit system is really for." The petition also said, "I heard that the defendant did not submit a single letter of remorse during about five months of detention. It is questionable whether such a defendant truly has any remorse."

A also mentioned that he is currently accepting a national petition proposing the reinstatement and enforcement of the death penalty or alternative legislation. He asked for support when the petition becomes public, saying, "I sincerely hope that the legal system will be improved this time so that murderers like Lee Gi-young can never come back into society."

Lee Gi-young is accused of killing A (50), his cohabiting partner and landlord, on the afternoon of August 3 last year at his residence in Paju City by striking her head with a blunt weapon to steal her phone and credit card, and then dumping her body along the Gongneung Stream area in Paju the next day. He is also accused of luring taxi driver B (59) to his residence on December 20 last year to cover up a drunk driving collision, striking B twice on the forehead with a blunt weapon to kill him, and hiding the body in a wardrobe.

On the 19th, the Criminal Division 1 of the Goyang Branch of Uijeongbu District Court (Chief Judge Choi Jong-won) sentenced Lee Gi-young, who was detained and indicted on charges of robbery-murder and retaliatory murder under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, to life imprisonment and ordered him to wear an electronic tracking device (electronic anklet) for 30 years.