Conversation Suggesting Conspiracy Found in Black Box
Police Investigate Possible Accomplice
Yonhap News reported on June 6 that evidence has emerged suggesting that a man in his 40s, who was arrested for driving a car with his family into the sea and killing his wife and two sons, may have conspired with his wife to commit the crime.
Jimo (49), who is accused of driving a passenger car into the sea and killing his wife and child, is being transported by a prison vehicle to attend a pre-arrest suspect interrogation (warrant hearing) held at the Gwangju District Court on the 4th. Photo by Yonhap News
According to Yonhap News, on June 6, the Gwangju Bukbu Police Station confirmed the contents of a conversation between the suspect, Jimo (49), and his wife, Kimmo (49), from the black box of Jimo's vehicle. Although faint, the black box contained a conversation between the two. Police believe that both took sleeping pills together just before the crime. It was also confirmed that Kim was alive until just before the car plunged into the sea.
Initially, it was believed that Ji acted alone. However, the investigation revealed that the couple had purchased drinks to mix with sleeping pills together at a pharmacy five days before the crime, adding weight to the possibility of conspiracy.
The Ji family left their home on May 30 and stayed at a pension in Muan, then traveled through Jindo and arrived at a park parking lot in Mokpo on the night of the 31st. Afterwards, the couple gave their two sons drinks containing sleeping pills, then drove to Jindo Port in Imhoe-myeon, Jindo County, South Jeolla Province. At around 1:12 a.m. on June 1, they drove their car into the sea.
At the time of the incident, Ji, his wife, and their two high school-aged sons were in the car. The accident resulted in the deaths of the wife and two sons, while Ji escaped alone. CCTV footage later captured Ji entering a public restroom on a road near Seomang Port about 40 minutes after the incident.
After spending the night in a nearby mountain, Ji borrowed a store owner's mobile phone on the afternoon of June 2 to contact his brother. With the help of an acquaintance, Ji traveled to Gwangju, where he was arrested by police on a street near Yangdong Market in Seo-gu, Gwangju, 44 hours after the incident.
Ji, a construction site worker, told police that he had tried to end his life with his family due to his wife's bipolar disorder and debts amounting to approximately 160 million won, which made it difficult to support his family. He stated, "It was hard to work while taking care of my wife. I took sleeping pills before the crime, but when I entered the sea, I got scared and escaped alone."
Police are investigating whether Kim was an accomplice by conducting an autopsy, forensic analysis of mobile phones, and other means to determine the exact circumstances of the crime.
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