Traces of Searching for "Elementary School Student Murder" Found on the Day of the Crime
A 48-year-old elementary school teacher, Myeong Jae-wan, who murdered 8-year-old Kim Ha-neul at school with a weapon, reportedly made remarks hinting at the crime during a phone call with her husband before the incident.
According to the indictment on charges including violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes (commercial kidnapping and enticement) submitted to the prosecution by the Ministry of Justice to Representative Joo Jin-woo of the People Power Party on the 8th, it was confirmed that Myeong spoke with her husband about an hour and 30 minutes before the crime.
On the day of the crime, February 10, around 3:14 PM, Myeong called her husband and said, "Let only one guy get caught," "I can't be the only one unhappy. I will make one more person unhappy," "There were three chances," and "When the last chance comes, it will succeed."
She also said, "What happens if I go to prison? What about our house? Do I compensate for damages with my money?" The indictment states that until 4:20 PM, she was looking into the care classroom opposite the audiovisual room, the crime scene, searching for a target.
Teacher Myung Jae-wan (48), who murdered an elementary school student in Daejeon. Daejeon Police Agency
About 20 minutes after the call, between 4:40 PM and 4:47 PM, Myeong lured Kim Ha-neul, who was the last to leave the care classroom, into the audiovisual room by offering a book and then murdered her with a weapon.
The husband's remarks during the conversation with Myeong were not specifically mentioned in the prosecution's indictment. According to the police, the husband, having heard Myeong's hints about the crime, tried to prevent it by demanding she come home or threatening to report to the police. However, the police explained that since the husband did not actively report to the police, his actions were not considered 'aiding the crime,' and he was excluded from investigation.
Additionally, Myeong searched on her phone for over four hours starting at 4:55 PM on February 6, four days before the crime, looking up terms such as "murder," "how to kill a person," "carotid artery stabbing," and "medical student murder case." The prosecution noted in the indictment that on the day of the crime, she also searched for "Incheon elementary school student murder case" and "elementary school student murder," indicating she planned and studied the method of the crime in advance.
The prosecution explained that this murder was an 'abnormal motive crime' where anger intensified due to family discord, regret over a hasty reinstatement, and workplace maladjustment, leading her to cruelly kill a vulnerable elementary school girl to relieve her frustration. They also believe that Myeong's usual fears of abandonment and difficulties in emotional regulation influenced her actions.
Myeong, who was arrested last month on the 27th and indicted, will have her first trial on the 28th of this month. She is accused of taking Ha-neul, who was leaving the care classroom at an elementary school in Daejeon on February 10, into the audiovisual room and killing her with a weapon she had purchased herself.
The police decided to disclose Myeong's personal information after comprehensively considering the brutality of the crime, the severity of the victim's harm, and the opinions of the victim's family. Myeong's personal information will be posted on the Daejeon Police Agency website until the 11th.
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