'Valley Murder' Lee Eunhae Sentenced to Life Imprisonment in Second Trial... 'Direct Murder' Not Recognized

Lee Eun-hae and Jo Hyun-soo, who are on trial for the 'valley murder' charge.
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Lee Eun-hae (32, female), who was sentenced to life imprisonment in the first trial on charges of the "valley murder," was also sentenced to life imprisonment in the appellate court.

On the 26th, the Seoul High Court Criminal Division 6-1 (Presiding Judges Won Jong-chan, Park Won-cheol, Lee Ui-young) held the appellate trial sentencing for Lee and others who were indicted while in custody on charges including murder and attempted murder, and sentenced Lee to life imprisonment. Lee's accomplice and lover, Jo Hyun-soo (31, male), also had his 30-year prison sentence from the first trial upheld.

The court stated, "We do not recognize the murder by gaslighting," and ruled, "We deny the murder by commission (active act) due to psychological subjugation."

Earlier, the prosecution requested life imprisonment for both individuals in the appellate trial, as in the first trial.

The prosecution argued that the two committed 'commission murder' through gaslighting (psychological control). However, the first trial court recognized the establishment of 'murder by omission (indirect murder)' for deliberately not rescuing the victim who fell into the water after diving, sentencing Lee to life imprisonment and Jo to 30 years in prison respectively.

Lee was indicted while in custody on charges of killing her husband A (39 years old at the time of death) by making him jump from a 4-meter-high rock into a 3-meter-deep valley stream without rescue equipment at Yongsogye Valley in Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi Province on June 30, 2019, along with her lover Jo.

They are also accused of attempting to kill A by feeding him food mixed with pufferfish poison and other substances in February and May 2019, or by making him fall into fishing pond water.

It was investigated that Lee exploited A economically for years, and when he became financially ruined and lost his utility value, she planned with Jo to kill A and claim 800 million won in life insurance money, committing the crime accordingly.

Lee filed a civil lawsuit against the insurance company in November 2020 demanding the 800 million won insurance money. This trial, which had been suspended for nearly two years due to Lee's criminal trial, is scheduled to resume on the 30th of next month.

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