She Claimed It Wasn't Intentional Murder, but Asked ChatGPT Repeatedly: "Can Mixing Sleeping Pills with Alcohol Kill?"

"Serial Motel Murders" Woman in Her 20s
Police: "Suspect Was Aware of the Drug's Dangers in Advance"
Charge Changed from Bodily Injury Resulting in Death to Murder

A woman in her 20s who caused the deaths of two men by handing them drinks laced with drugs at lodging facilities in the Gangbuk-gu area of Seoul has been handed over to the prosecution in custody. Although she has denied any intent to kill, it was revealed that she had repeatedly asked a generative artificial intelligence (AI) about the dangers of the drugs before committing the crimes.

The Seoul Gangbuk Police Station announced on the 19th that it had sent a woman in her 20s, identified as Ms. A, to the prosecution under arrest on charges including murder, aggravated injury, and violations of the Narcotics Control Act.

A woman in her 20s identified as Ms. A, who is accused of killing two men at a motel in Suyu-dong, Gangbuk-gu, Seoul, appeared at the Seoul Northern District Court on the 12th for a detention warrant review. Yonhap News Agency

According to the police, from last month until early this month, Ms. A allegedly handed drinks mixed with psychotropic drugs to three men, causing the deaths of two of them and inflicting serious injuries on one.

The police investigation found that after the first crime, Ms. A made drinks with a significantly increased dosage of the drug and had the male victims drink them. The drug she used was a benzodiazepine-type psychotropic medication, which can cause fatal side effects such as respiratory distress when taken in conjunction with alcohol.

During questioning, Ms. A denied intent, stating, "I only meant to make the men fall asleep and did not know they would die." However, the police changed the charge from bodily injury resulting in death to murder, concluding that she likely recognized the possibility of death based on her statement that she increased the dosage during the course of the crimes and on digital forensic evidence from her mobile phone.

In particular, it was confirmed that before the crimes she repeatedly entered questions into ChatGPT such as "What happens if you take sleeping pills with alcohol?", "How much can you take together before it becomes dangerous?", and "Is it possible to die from it?"

A police official said, "Given that she asked related questions several times and received answers, we judge that she fully understood that taking alcohol and the drug together could result in death."

The police plan to continue the investigation without ruling out the possibility that there may be additional victims.