The cafe in Paju where the incident took place, photographed Monday. A notice on the door says the business is closed for internal reasons. [Yonhap]
The cafe in Paju where the incident took place, photographed Monday. A notice on the door says the business is closed for internal reasons. [Yonhap]

A woman in her 60s was found dead inside a freezer at a large cafe in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, amid reports that the cafe's owner in his 30s is claiming the killing was unplanned. A criminal psychology expert said the suspect likely lured the victim to the cafe from the outset with the intent to kill her.

Oh Yun-sung, a professor of police administration at Soonchunhyang University, said Friday on CBS Radio's "Park Sung-tae's News Show" that he believed the suspect "lured and abducted the victim to that location with the purpose of eliminating her from the very beginning."

Oh pointed to CCTV footage from Aug. 27 — a week before the killing — showing the suspect entering the freezer inside the cafe, calling it circumstantial evidence of premeditation. He also said the suspect's instruction to employees not to come in on the day of the crime "can be seen as a preemptive measure to block witnesses."

On how the victim came to enter the freezer, Oh said no footage showed her being dragged in by force, adding that he believed she was lured inside.

The victim, identified only by her surname B, is understood to have been acting on behalf of a third party to verify the authenticity of gift vouchers. Oh said he believed the suspect "suggested they go inside the freezer to check them together, and she followed."

"At first he said he had intended to kill her, but later changed his story to say it was an impulsive act," Oh said. "Given that he brought her all the way to his own place of business, it is far more credible that he intended to commit murder."

Oh added that if the suspect had accidentally shut the door, he should have rushed to help immediately. "The fact that he went in and out multiple times over roughly 26 to 27 hours can only be interpreted as him continuously monitoring the woman's condition," he said.

A white refrigerated container sits in the parking lot of a cafe in Munsan-eup, Paju, Gyeonggi Province, photographed Wednesday. The body of a woman in her 60s was discovered there on Saturday. [Newsis]
A white refrigerated container sits in the parking lot of a cafe in Munsan-eup, Paju, Gyeonggi Province, photographed Wednesday. The body of a woman in her 60s was discovered there on Saturday. [Newsis]

According to police, suspect A made statements in his initial questioning that raised suspicions of premeditated murder, but has been gradually shifting his account toward claiming the killing was impulsive as the investigation has progressed.

A is understood to have recently told investigators that he panicked when a gift voucher transaction appeared about to fall through, and shut the freezer door on impulse.

Police believe the killing was premeditated, based on their assessment that A lured the victim into the freezer.

A was taken into detention on charges of confining victim B inside a freezer at a cafe he operates in Munsan-eup, Paju, and killing her on Sept. 4. The two had no prior acquaintance and are understood to have met for the first time that day to discuss a gift voucher transaction.

Inside the freezer, investigators found B's body along with counterfeit department store gift vouchers with a face value of 50 billion won ($37.4 million).


bbo@heraldcorp.com