Murder for Money → Buried in a Dog Farm.. Suspect Maintains Right to Remain Silent [Brave Detectives 5] [Comprehensive]

*This content was translated by AI.

'Brave Detectives 5' revealed the full details of a burial case.

In the 21st episode of 'Brave Detectives 5' broadcast on T-Cast E Channel on the 18th, the complete story of the case and investigative anecdotes were unveiled after persistent tracking.

The first case introduced that day began with an informant's tip in a small village in Paju in 2004, reporting that someone had buried something "rough" in abandoned land. Investigation revealed that about a month and a half prior, an unfamiliar SUV appeared in the village, headed toward a closed dog farm, and only descended after a long delay.

A search of the dog farm uncovered a three-wheeled cart and shovels scattered around. Detectives dug into the ground but heard only the sound of shovels hitting rocks; nothing was found. After reviewing village CCTV footage, they confirmed that the vehicle's owner was a man in his 60s witnessed by residents.

The owner stated that while the car was indeed his, it was usually driven by his daughter's boyfriend, Mr. Park (pseudonym). Shortly after returning to Paju, Mr. Park urged his girlfriend to change cars, saying he needed to replace it, and the owner hastily disposed of the vehicle. At the time of the incident, Mr. Park, then 33 years old, had been wanted for five years on fraud charges.

Mr. Park told acquaintances, "Is there a boat going to Southeast Asia?" and "I need to leave Korea," before eventually being arrested. He was urgently detained on murder charges, but his confession remained unclear, and no body had been found. Detectives needed to find conclusive evidence within 48 hours, yet Mr. Park consistently invoked his right to remain silent, claiming he had only gone for a drive in Paju.

Detectives located the already-disposed vehicle. Although the interior was neatly cleaned, traces of spilled chemicals causing discoloration remained on the back seat, and small bloodstains were found in the stitching area of the dismantled rear seat. Ultimately, Mr. Park admitted to the murder. The body was found precisely at the spot where detectives had previously been unable to drive their shovels into the ground. Mr. Park had covered the corpse with concrete. Beneath the concrete lay the body of a man estimated to be middle-aged.

Mr. Park further shocked investigators by stating he only knew the victim from a racetrack and did not know his exact identity. He claimed he had borrowed 5 million won from the victim but lost it all, and under pressure from debt collection, committed the crime. He also asserted that after being refused an extension of the repayment deadline, he believed the victim was brandishing a weapon and used a pre-prepared self-defense tool to carry out the act.

However, according to the victim's family, the victim carried 20–30 million won in cash on days he went to work and held checks or deposit slips when returning home. Yet nothing was found at the burial site. Mr. Park claimed he took only 3.53 million won in cash after killing the victim. Mr. Park was ultimately sentenced to life imprisonment.

Next, in 'Unfinished Case Q,' under the theme "What Would You Do in This Situation?", the program examined cases involving private sanctions—actions prohibited by law but referred to as "true education" by some individuals.

In 2004, a report at an apartment complex brought together the victim, the reporter, and the perpetrator in one place. The perpetrator was found completely naked, covered with graffiti filled with insults and mockery, and even had all his hair shaved off, causing further shock. All three were 19 years old and former middle school classmates; it emerged that the perpetrator had been subjected to prolonged physical abuse and bullying by both the victim and the reporter.

On the day of the incident, the victim and the reporter continued beating and torturing the perpetrator for three hours at his home, ultimately stabbing him in the chest with a weapon, leading to his death. In the first trial, he was sentenced to 5 years for murder (minimum 3 years), but on appeal, mitigating factors such as diminished mental capacity and ongoing torture were considered, resulting in a 2-year prison sentence with a 5-year probation period. The reporter, who had engaged in school bullying and harassment, received a 7-year prison sentence. This was a complex case where the victim existed, yet he too had been a perpetrator for an extended period.

Profiler Kwon Il-yong introduced a similar case he personally responded to in 1996. At that time, a middle-aged man was found completely naked at a lakeside, his entire body bound with chains and iron hydraulic jacks attached to his ankles. The victim was a 40-year-old man who operated loan-sharking activities targeting market vendors, earning an average monthly income of 200 million won. Police initially focused the investigation on kidnapping for ransom, but no extortion calls were received. Profiler Kwon Il-yong lay directly on the bed used by the husband while examining the house and discovered bloodstains splattered under furniture and blood droplets on the TV.

The perpetrator was revealed to be the victim's wife, who had received assistance from her younger sister and brother-in-law. The husband had engaged in severe domestic violence throughout their 20-year marriage and was found to have habitually sexually assaulted his own daughter. It also emerged that the wife's younger sister, her young nephew, and the daughter of the husband's younger sister had all suffered sexual assault. These victimization details were considered mitigating factors, and the wife was sentenced to 3 years in prison.

Hwang Min-gu (Dr.) introduced another case that occurred in 2014. A report was received about two adults and a student fighting near a commercial building, and shortly thereafter, the body of a 17-year-old male student was found nearby. One hour after the report was filed, a middle-aged man visited the police station with his wife, confessing that they had gone to confront the student over an issue, became enraged during a verbal altercation, and killed him. The couple claimed their middle school daughter had been sexually assaulted by the male student, and out of anger, they committed the crime. The perpetrator was sentenced to 14 years in prison.

Hwang Min-gu (Dr.) stated, "The problem with this case is that the victimized student is already dead, making it impossible to verify the truth. With only one side's testimony available, this illustrates why private sanctions are dangerous." Profiler Kwon Il-yong added, "I hope our society and those around us reflect on whether there is any way to prevent or address the worst-case scenario where a victim becomes a perpetrator and must pay the price for their actions."

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*This content was translated by AI.