Kim So-young Sentenced to Life Imprisonment in Drug-Linked Serial Murder Case; 'AI Search History' Becomes Key Evidence

[Financial News] Kim So-young, 20, who was indicted on charges of giving men drinks laced with drugs at motels and other places in Gangbuk-gu, Seoul, causing some to die and others to be injured, was sentenced to life imprisonment. The court said it recognized her conditional intent to kill, citing, among other things, that she had been aware in advance of the dangers of mixing sleeping pills with alcohol.
According to the legal community on the 27th, the 14th Criminal Division of the Seoul Northern District Court, presided over by Judge Oh Byung-hee, sentenced Kim, who had been detained and indicted on charges including murder, aggravated assault and violations of the Narcotics Control Act, to life imprisonment and ordered her to wear an electronic monitoring device for 30 years. However, she was acquitted of some aggravated assault charges for lack of evidence.
The court rejected all arguments from the defense that she had only administered the drugs for self-defense and had no intent to kill. The panel said, "The defendant gradually became aware of the risk of death from drug use by searching ChatGPT about the dangers of overdosing on sleeping pills and combining them with alcohol," adding, "As she could have sufficiently foreseen the possibility that the victims would die, murder based on conditional intent is established."
The court also dismissed the defendant's claim that she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to past sexual violence and acted for self-defense. It said, "According to the medical opinion, no PTSD symptoms were present, and there is no indication that the male victims attempted inappropriate sexual contact or rape," drawing a clear line under her alleged motive. The court explained, "The main motive appears to have been financial gain, mixed with hostility toward men, avoidance tendencies and poor judgment."
On sentencing, the court said, "The defendant shows no remorse for the crime, and the surviving victim wants the harshest punishment, making severe punishment unavoidable." It added, "Taking into account her difficult upbringing, including abuse by her father in childhood, bullying, low intelligence and other adverse growth conditions, as well as the fact that she committed the crime with conditional intent rather than direct intent, we sentence her to life imprisonment, permanently separating her from society."
Kim is accused of handing psychotropic drug-laced drinks to three men in their 20s from December last year to February this year, killing two and leaving one in critical condition. She is also accused of injuring three men in their 20s and 30s in the same way between October last year and January this year.
At the closing hearing on the 18th, the Prosecution Service had sought the maximum sentence of capital punishment and asked the court to order her to wear an electronic monitoring device for 30 years. The prosecution said, "The consequences of the crimes, in which two people were murdered and four others were injured, are extremely grave," adding, "Even while under investigation for aggravated assault in the past, she did not restrain herself and went on to commit murder." It continued, "She took the lives of victims who showed her affection and trusted her while defenseless, making the nature of the crime extremely heinous," and noted, "Despite the very high degree of blameworthiness, she has remained consistently untruthful from the investigation stage through the trial and has shown no remorse at all."
Kim denied any intent to kill throughout the trial and repeated her earlier claims. In her final statement, she said, "I absolutely had no intention or plan to kill anyone. I only thought the victims were snoring and asleep, and I was so shocked when I was arrested and learned for the first time that two of them had died." She added, "I do not want to die. It is selfish, but I want to eat warm meals next to my mother and sister. Please give me one chance."
Nam Eon-ho, a lawyer at Vincent Law Office representing the victims, told reporters before the verdict, "This is the first drug-linked serial murder case in which AI was used as a tool for murder." He pointed out, "Kim claims there was no foreseeability of murder, but records show that she searched ChatGPT for questions such as 'Is it dangerous to take a lot of sleeping pills?', 'Can you die if you take them with alcohol?', and 'What are the statutory penalties for homicide by abandonment or negligent homicide?'"
Nam also said he would ask the prosecution to appeal immediately after the ruling. He said, "The defendant even in the courtroom made false claims and blamed the victims, angering the bereaved families." He added, "Since capital punishment should have been handed down as the prosecution requested, I will organize my views and deliver them to the prosecution." At the earlier closing hearing, Nam had strongly urged the court to impose capital punishment, saying, "The defendant is acting as if she were a victim of sexual crimes and has maintained a complacent attitude throughout."
[email protected] Reporter Seo Ji-yoon Reporter