Paju Hotel Incident with 4 Deaths Shows Signs of 'Premeditated Crime'... Evidence of Conspiracy Found Throughout

Men Search for 'Person Fainting' and More
Impersonate Deceased Woman to Demand Money from Acquaintances

In connection with the incident where four men and women died at a hotel in Paju-si, Gyeonggi Province, it was revealed that these men searched for terms like 'suicide' and 'fainting a person' before the crime. In particular, there is also evidence that they lured women to the hotel with the intent to extort money.

On the 15th, the Northern Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency announced the results of forensic analysis on two mobile phones belonging to the men who died after jumping from a hotel in Paju-si. The analysis showed that the deceased man, Mr. A, searched the internet for the word 'suicide' three days before checking into the hotel, on the 5th. Later, in the early hours of the 8th, he searched for methods to subdue a person, such as 'fainting a person' and 'back choke (choking from behind with arms) fainting.'

Mr. A, who was acquainted with the deceased woman Ms. B, lured her to the hotel by saying, "I made a lot of money with cryptocurrency, so let's hang out together." Another woman, Ms. C, had conversations related to a recruitment post the men had posted in a Telegram chat room saying "Looking for female servers, looking for female dealers," and the men lured Ms. C to come to the hotel by 10 p.m. on the 8th.

At around 10:30 p.m. on the 8th, Ms. D, an acquaintance of Ms. C, received a Telegram message. The message said she was preparing for work and something went wrong, so she needed money, addressing the recipient as "oppa" (older brother). Ms. B, who was at the drinking party at the time, did not see the message. Then, several calls came from unknown numbers, and during one call, a man said, "Ms. C's work went wrong, and she needs money." Ms. D ended the call saying, "I don't have money." Ms. D testified, "Ms. C usually doesn't use the word 'oppa,' so the Telegram message seemed a bit strange," and added, "She asked for about 6 to 7 million won." The police believe that the deceased men subdued the women who entered the hotel rooms and then impersonated Ms. C to demand money. However, there is currently no evidence that they impersonated Ms. B to demand money.

The men also reserved the hotel on the 7th, before the crime, and had prepared items such as cable ties and duct tape in advance. The police consider the possibility of a premeditated crime, judging from the fact that they searched for subduing methods beforehand, reserved the crime location, lured women through recruitment, and prepared crime tools in advance. Especially since they demanded money from the women's acquaintances, it is believed that the crime was likely committed with the intent to extort money, but the investigation is ongoing to determine whether there was an urgent need for money to the extent of committing suicide or murder. The two mobile phones that the women had when entering the hotel are also being tracked.

Earlier, at 10:37 a.m. on the 10th, a report was received by the police that two men had jumped from a hotel in Paju-si. When the police arrived at the scene, two women were found dead in the hotel room where the men had stayed, with their hands and necks tied with cable ties in the bedroom and bathroom respectively, and their mouths taped shut with duct tape. One of the deceased women had been reported missing by her family the day before, and when the police tracked her movements to the hotel room, it is believed that the men likely jumped to their deaths. So far, there is no evidence suggesting drug use or sexual crimes.