Woman obsessed with crime dresses as schoolgirl and murders teacher lured on app

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Jung Yoo-jung killed a stranger after developing an obsession with true crime books and TV shows
Jung Yoo-jung killed a stranger after developing an obsession with true crime books and TV shows

A true crime psychopath has been sentenced to life in prison for dressing up as a schoolgirl and stabbing to death a woman in a carefully planned murder.

Jung Yoo-jung's was so obsessed with crimes shows and books about deranged killers that she decided to carry out a perfect murder of her own "out of curiosity". Her grotesque plan involved putting on a schoolgirl outfit, tricking her way into the home of a stranger and brutally stabbing her more than 100 times. The horrific killing shocked South Korea.

Jung, an unemployed loner who lived with her grandfather, became fixated with the idea of "trying out a murder", a court heard. She meticulously prepared for the killing by reading books on the subject, searching the internet and watching true crime TV shows.

She spent months looking online for a potential victim and working out a careful plan. She then used an online tutoring app and posed as someone who wanted help to teach her daughter English. Jung contacted more than 50 people, favouring women, and asking them if they conducted their lessons at home.

Woman obsessed with crime dresses as schoolgirl and murders teacher lured on app qhiqquidqeixzinvJung Yoo-jung, 23, (pictured by police) confessed to the murder of an unnamed freelance tutor and was indicted for the crime (Busan Police)

Eventually she set up a meeting with a 26-year-old English-language teacher in May in the south-eastern city of Busan. She bought a school uniform online and turned up at the woman's door, BBC reports.

Man in 30s dies after being stabbed in park sparking police probeMan in 30s dies after being stabbed in park sparking police probe

When the woman invited Jung inside for a chat she launched a frenzied attack, repeatedly stabbing her. She carried on inflicting blows even after the victim was dead.

Once the bloody killing was done she visited a nearby shop to buy bleach and bin bags before returning to the scene of the crime and dismembering the body so she could dispose of it more easily.

It was alleged that Jung planned on making it look as if the victim had gone away, so she made sure to gather up her mobile phone, ID card, and wallet. But despite the preparation that went into the murder, Jung made a crucial mistake when disposing of the body parts.

After filling a suitcase with the body, Jung hired a taxi to take her to a wooded area near the Nakdong River. Unsurprisingly, the driver of the cab found her behaviour with a blood-stained suitcase extremely suspicious and he reported her to the police.

Woman obsessed with crime dresses as schoolgirl and murders teacher lured on appJung Yoo-jung, 23, killed a stranger after developing an obsession with true crime books and TV shows (Busan Metropolitan Police Agency)

Police revealed that analysis of her mobile phone showed numerous searches for tips on how to conceal a body, and she had also borrowed crime books from a library. But it was far from the perfect murder she had planned. Jung was careless, police said, making no effort to avoid CCTV cameras which showed her entering and leaving the house several times.

Jung changed her account several times and initially said she had only moved the body. But she eventually admitted her guilt claiming she suffered hallucinations and other mental disorders at the time. According to The Korean Times, Jung said of her heinous act: “I think I was out of my mind.”

Police said she became obsessed with murder from TV programmess and books and scored highly on psychopath tests. The court said the killing was "carefully planned" and executed. Prosecutors asked for the death penalty, something not carried out in the country since 1997, but Jung will serve her sentence in prison.

On Friday, a sentencing judge in the Busan District Court said the killing had "spread fear in society that one can become a victim for no reason" and "incited a general distrust" among the community.

Paul Greaves

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