‘Paju murder’ café owner asked AI immediately after crime, “What happens if there is a person in a freezer?”

[Financial News] The owner of a café in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, who is accused of locking a woman in her 60s inside a freezer container and causing her death, reportedly asked Artificial Intelligence (AI) shortly after the incident, “What happens if there is a person in a freezer?”
According to a report by MBC on the 9th, café owner A was confirmed to have asked AI this question immediately after locking victim B in the freezer. Investigators also found that A entered and exited the freezer several times before and after confining her.
The freezer was installed on the 27th of last month. CCTV footage showed a large cargo truck carrying the unit arriving at around 4:30 a.m., unloading it, and leaving five hours later.
B was confined exactly one week after the unit was installed. The freezer was maintained at around minus 18 degrees Celsius, and reports indicate that its interior was designed so the door could not be opened from inside.
B’s body was found at around 2:30 p.m. on the 4th inside the freezer container at the café in Munsan-eup, Paju.
Police urgently arrested A, who had been with B when she went missing, in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul. The Goyang Branch of the Uijeongbu District Court issued a warrant for A’s detention on the 6th. The charge is the killing of an induced victim, which carries a heavier statutory penalty than ordinary murder.
The National Forensic Service’s preliminary verbal autopsy findings found no significant external injuries, leading investigators to conclude that the freezer environment was highly likely to have caused her death.
A is reportedly claiming that the incident was accidental. During police questioning, A allegedly said, “I panicked because it seemed the gift certificate transaction was going to fall through, so I closed the door in the moment.”
However, as the investigation progresses, indications of premeditation are also emerging.
On the morning of the incident, A allegedly lured B to the freezer and said, “Let’s leave our phones outside.” Investigators believe A had B place her phone, with the power turned off, on the dashboard of a vehicle to cut off contact with the outside.
It was also revealed that A provided false information about where A and B had parted ways and about A’s movements during a phone call with an investigator who had received the missing-person report.
Police plan to examine A’s motive and preparations while keeping open the possibility that the crime was premeditated.

[email protected] Seong Min-seo Reporter