First Trial 5 Years Increased to 10 Years in Second Trial
Also Charged with Establishing Ghost Corporations and Opening Fake Bank Accounts
A man in his 30s who accompanied the scene during the 'Valley Murder Case' and was charged with aiding and abetting the crimes of Lee Eun-hae (33) and Jo Hyun-soo (32) received a heavier sentence in the appellate court than in the first trial.
Lee Eun-hae and accomplice Jo Hyun-soo, sentenced to life imprisonment for the "valley murder." [Image source=Incheon District Prosecutors' Office]
On the 1st, Yonhap News reported that the Seoul High Court Criminal Division 2 (Presiding Judges Seol Beom-sik, Lee Sang-ju, and Lee Won-seok) sentenced Mr. A (32) to 10 years in prison on the 27th of last month for aiding and abetting murder and other charges. Previously, the first trial had sentenced him to 5 years in prison, so the sentence was doubled. The court stated, "Although he is an accomplice, it is difficult to see that his involvement in the murder was minor, so severe punishment is inevitable," and added, "Considering that Lee Eun-hae was sentenced to life imprisonment in related criminal cases, the sentence given by the original court was too light and unfair."
They continued, "After aiding the crime, he pressured key witnesses to give false statements or to not appear before investigative authorities, showing poor conduct after the crime," and explained the sentencing by saying, "However, there is insufficient evidence to consider him as having a status equivalent to a co-conspirator who premeditated the crime with Lee Eun-hae and others, and it appears he did not actively encourage the diving."
Mr. A claimed, "After the victim dived, I went to get the tube and reported to 119, so I did not know about the murder plan in advance," but the court dismissed this, stating, "Lee Eun-hae and witnesses at the scene testified that the defendant did not go to get the tube, and it is difficult to evaluate the act of going to get the tube only after the diving as a rescue act."
The court pointed out, "Before the victim died, the defendant told acquaintances that Lee Eun-hae was planning to kill the victim to obtain insurance money," and added, "According to Telegram chat logs, the defendant was well aware of the plan to kill using pufferfish poison by Lee Eun-hae and others."
In the same trial, Mr. A was also charged with establishing shell companies and opening bank accounts under false names. The court stated, "So-called 'ghost accounts' are used for other crimes such as voice phishing, making it difficult for victims to recover damages," and added, "The defendant established nine shell companies with as many as 15 ghost accounts, which is considerable and requires corresponding punishment."
Earlier, Mr. A was indicted on charges including aiding and abetting the murder of Yoon (39 at the time of death), the husband of Lee Eun-hae, who was killed by Lee Eun-hae and her accomplice Jo Hyun-soo on June 30, 2019, at 8:24 p.m. in Yongsogye Valley, Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi Province. At the time, Mr. A and Jo Hyun-soo first jumped from a 4-meter-high rock beside a waterfall into water 3 meters deep, and Yoon, who could not swim, followed by diving and drowned.
It was investigated that Mr. A aided and abetted the crime knowing about the plan by Lee Eun-hae and Jo Hyun-soo to claim Yoon's life insurance money of 800 million won. The Supreme Court confirmed the original sentences last September, sentencing Lee Eun-hae to life imprisonment and Jo Hyun-soo to 30 years in prison for the murder of Yoon.
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