In a chilling turn of events, a young woman in South Korea with a fixation on true crime stories allegedly murdered and dismembered another woman, a crime she claims was motivated by a desire to understand murder first-hand.
The 23-year-old suspect, Jung Yoo-jung, showed a deep interest in crime-themed television shows and books. She began researching methods to hide a body, according to a report from the Busan police in the Chosun Ilbo.
Jung’s preparations for her alleged crime reportedly included using her phone for research and borrowing crime-related books from the library.
In order to find a suitable victim, Jung allegedly turned to an application designed to connect parents with private tutors. Posing as a parent seeking an English tutor for a ninth-grader, she approached the victim. She informed the tutor that her daughter would be coming to her home for a consultation.
Jung then acquired a school uniform from an online store and wore it as a disguise to the victim’s home, where she allegedly carried out the murder. According to the police, Jung’s short stature and the school uniform could have led the victim to believe that she was a middle-school student.
After the alleged crime, Jung reportedly purchased trash bags and bleach, and returned to the victim’s house to dismember the body. She placed some of the body parts in a suitcase and hailed a taxi to the Nakdong River, where she disposed of the remains.
Jung allegedly kept the victim’s mobile phone, ID card, and wallet to make it look like the victim disappeared. However, the taxi driver became suspicious of her actions and alerted the police, who found bloodstained clothes and the rest of the body at Jung’s residence.
When initially interrogated by the police, Jung claimed that the victim was killed accidentally during an argument. However, inconsistencies in her story led to a full confession of her crime.
Expressing remorse to the victim’s family, Jung tried to explain her actions by suggesting she was not in her right mind when she attempted to portray the murder as a missing person case. The police are currently conducting evaluations to determine whether Jung could be classified as a psychopath.
Authorities describe Jung as an introverted, unemployed individual who has largely kept to herself since graduating from high school five years ago.