Prosecutors demand death for man who killed ex-girlfriend, taxi driver

Social Affairs

Published: 12 Apr. 2023, 15:35

Prosecutors demand death for man who killed ex-girlfriend, taxi driver

Lee Ki-young's driver license photo [YONHAP]

Prosecutors demanded the death penalty for Lee Ki-young, the 32-year-old man charged with murdering a taxi driver and his ex-girlfriend.

Prosecutors requested the death penalty for Lee during the final hearing of his trial at Uijeongbu District Court in Goyang, Gyeonggi, on Wednesday.

They also asked the court to put an electronic tracking anklet on Lee.

"Lee admits his wrongdoing, but his crime, which involves enjoying an extravagant life off of the victims' money, is unforgivable," prosecutors said in their final statement.

They also accused Lee of selfish behavior, acting as if he's the victim even after committing the elaborate murder and body dump.

Lee said he has no excuse for his crime and apologized to the families of the victims. He requested the court give him a heavy sentence.

Lee's attorney asked the court to delay the follow-up trial since he is trying to compensate the victims' families for their loss.

His sentence is due May 19.

Lee Ki-young points to where he allegedly buried the body of his former girlfriend at a streamside in Paju, Gyeonggi, on Jan. 6. [YONHAP]

Lee's crimes sparked public uproar when he was accused of murdering his ex-girlfriend and a taxi driver.

Lee last August allegedly murdered his 50-year-old girlfriend and landlady after hitting her in the head ten times with a blunt instrument to use her credit card.

He then disposed of the corpse at a nearby riverside the next day.

He faces another murder charge for killing a taxi driver in December.

Lee, possibly drunk, crashed into the taxi and told the driver that he would pay for the damage if he didn't call the police, but ended up killing the driver at his home in Paju after they got into an argument. Lee hid the body in a closet.

BY SOHN DONG-JOO [sohn.dongjoo@joongang.co.kr]