Gwangju high school girl's killer indicted on rape-murder charges, overturning 'random killing' claim

Jang Yun-gi, 23, who was initially believed to have carried out a random killing in the Gwangju high school girl murder case, was in fact motivated by rape, prosecutors determined — a finding that could expose him to a heavier sentence.

The third criminal division of the Gwangju District Prosecutors Office indicted Jang on Tuesday on charges including murder in the course of rape under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes, ordering him held in detention.

Prosecutors concluded that Jang attacked the victim with the intent to sexually assault her.

They based that finding on two key factors: Jang had grabbed the victim from behind and attempted to drag her toward his vehicle, and his method matched the sexual assault he had previously committed against a Vietnamese coworker, identified only as A, a woman in her 20s.

The conclusion contradicts both Jang's own account and the findings of the earlier police investigation, which had characterized the attack as a random killing.

During the police investigation, Jang said he had grown tired of living, had been contemplating suicide, and decided to take someone with him — framing the attack as motiveless.

Police, seeking to establish a motive, concluded that Jang had targeted the high school student as an outlet for his anger after A rejected his romantic advances, and forwarded the case to prosecutors on a charge of ordinary murder under the Criminal Act.

The rape-murder charge prosecutors applied carries only the death penalty or life imprisonment, whereas ordinary murder carries a minimum sentence of five years in prison.

Jang was indicted on charges including the murder of a second-year high school girl on a deserted pedestrian path in Wolge-dong, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, at around 12:10 a.m. on May 5. He killed the victim as she resisted and also wielded a weapon against a second-year male high school student who came to help after hearing her screams.

Jang also faces separate charges related to the earlier attack on A, including rape causing bodily injury, unlawful confinement and violation of the Stalking Punishment Act.

에스파, 사생팬 30명에 포위돼 “영혼 나가 있더라”…성시경과 김준수가 전한 ‘충격 실태’

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