Breaking into the Deceased's Home 3 Days After the 49th-Day Memorial Ceremony... Only the Safe Taken
"Possibility of a Professional Hitman Hired for the Crime"
The composite sketch of the suspect who broke into the late singer Goo Hara's home and stole her safe has been released, four years after the former Kara group member's death.
On the 22nd, SBS's investigative journalism program "Unanswered Questions" ("Geugeos-i Algo Sipda") revisited the case of the theft of the late Goo Hara's safe. Goo Hara suddenly passed away in November 2019. The suspect broke into Goo's home around midnight on January 14, 2020, three days after the 49th-day memorial service had ended, when no one was home.
Montage of the suspect who broke into the late Goo Hara's residence and stole a safe (left) and closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage[Image source=SBS 'Unanswered Questions' broadcast screen capture]
Goo's family and acquaintances stayed at the deceased's home for a while after visiting the memorial facility where her ashes were enshrined on January 11, the day of the 49th-day memorial. The suspect broke into the house by climbing over the fence the day after the family had partially packed up the deceased's belongings and left. The suspect, captured on closed-circuit television (CCTV), was wearing glasses and a mask, covering his face, and gloves on his hands. This man pressed the front door's password but, when it did not open, climbed the wall and entered the house through the second-floor veranda.
Experts began identifying the suspect based on the CCTV footage. After enhancing the image quality, it was revealed that the suspect was wearing a shiny earring on his left ear. The suspect was a man in his late 20s to early-to-mid 30s, with a slim build and height in the late 170 cm range, wearing semi-rimmed glasses with concave lenses for myopia correction at the time of the crime.
Based on this, a composite sketch of the suspect was created. The sketch was made by Jeong Chang-gil, a former detective with a background in fine arts and experience in violent crime investigations. Jeong described the suspect as having "somewhat sharp eyes, a somewhat long chin, possibly a slender chin, slightly protruding cheekbones, and a somewhat blunt nose." The man stole only the safe, approximately 30 cm by 30 cm, located inside the second-floor closet, and did not touch other valuable items. The police investigated the theft for over nine months but ultimately could not identify the suspect, and the case was closed.
Crime psychology expert Pyo Chang-won suggested that the suspect was likely a professional hired by someone who knew the house password. Pyo analyzed the suspect's attempt to enter by pressing the door lock password, saying, "It is a disadvantageous and risky action for the suspect, so why would he do that? Because he expected the door to open. He must have known the password or received it from someone who did."
He added, "The suspect is likely someone who only does the job they are paid for and does not get involved beyond that, like a courier or a hired hand. If someone is not confident in controlling or managing their own body, they probably wouldn't even attempt climbing over a fence. It is dark." He continued, "If efforts to identify him are made public and broadcasted, it will have a huge psychological impact. Unless the person has a direct motive, they might even report or tip off the police."
Goo's older brother, Ho-in, said, "We removed all important items while organizing the contents of the safe. The suspect basically took an empty shell. There were six mobile phones in the safe, and we have entrusted a company to unlock the locked passwords and are still waiting."
Meanwhile, recently, the British BBC reported in a documentary on the "Burning Sun Gate" that Goo Hara was a whistleblower who played a crucial role in exposing the identity of a high-ranking police officer involved with Burning Sun. This has led to suspicions that the theft of Goo's safe might be related to the Burning Sun Gate.
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