Noise Between Floors Calls for Murder Apartment Murders in Yeosu, South Korea

 On September 27, 2021, at 0:33 a.m., a murder occurred in an apartment in Deokchung-dong, Yeosu, South Jeolla Province.

Mr. Jeong Mo (35), a resident living downstairs in the apartment where the incident occurred, went upstairs and wielded a machete to behead Mr. A, a man in his 40s who lived upstairs, and then slit the throats of two people, including Mr. A's wife, Ms. B (30), who was running towards the elevator. He also swung the weapon at Ms. B's parents, who were in their 60s, cutting off her arm and causing severe injuries to her father, including a stab wound to the abdomen (20 cm). The victims' children, a middle school and elementary school-aged sister in her 40s, escaped the attack by locking the door to their room.

It was confirmed that Mr. Chung, who lives alone, had repeatedly filed complaints of inter-floor noise, including a request for mediation with the apartment management office on September 17, saying that "the family upstairs is causing inter-floor noise." On the same day, after arguing with the victim's family about the noise, Jung went upstairs with a mountain climbing weapon he had prepared in advance, knocked violently on the door, and suddenly brandished the weapon when the door was opened.

The deceased couple, who were in their 40s and ran a chicken restaurant in Yeosu city, reportedly returned home from the store at around 10 p.m. The maternal grandfather and maternal grandmother had been taking care of their elementary and middle school sisters until they finished their work.

Mr. Chung, who lives alone, reportedly did not drink alcohol at the time of the incident and had no history of psychiatric treatment.

The victim's family had reportedly been in conflict with Mr. Chung over noise between floors since they moved in around 2013.

Neighbors said, "(Mr. Chung) worked as a day laborer, kept to himself, and didn't communicate much with his neighbors. The neighbors also said, "The couple was very cautious," and "They would knock on the door or wall even if they just turned on the vacuum cleaner. They always ran upstairs at the slightest sound," "The children upstairs often yelled at them," "Grandpa and Grandma were very careful and controlled the noise," and "They said they would kill the upstairs with the noise between floors." The victim's acquaintance also reportedly showed signs of anxiety.

An acquaintance of the victim said, "She often came from downstairs. She said it was too hard, too sensitive. They had mats on the floor. If they walked even a little bit, he would call them, and he was very sensitive," and "The two sisters also like to draw quietly, and they are both teenagers, so they are not old enough to run around the house."

The police also stated that they plan to conduct an antisociality test, as Chung appears to be a reclusive loner, based on the testimony of his neighbors that he has no close neighbors or acquaintances, and that he does not go out much, except for the occasional visit from his mother to deliver side dishes.

The police plan to apply for an arrest warrant for Mr. Chung, who was arrested on suspicion of premeditated murder, after investigating the exact circumstances of the accident. However, Mr. Chung, who was arrested, applied for a lawyer by 4 p.m. on the same day and has not responded to the police investigation at all.

On September 30, Jung said, "I had a noise conflict with an upstairs neighbor five years ago. At the time of the crime, I was angry and made up my mind about the crime (murder) and went upstairs." A criminal psychology analyst conducted three psychological interviews and determined that he was an "introverted reclusive personality. "He seems to be an introvert, but sensitive to various environments," the police said, adding that they will investigate the case until October 6 and then send it to the prosecution. #Firefighters who responded to the scene.

The scene was said to be so horrific that firefighters who responded to the scene suffered from PTSD.

Trial

On April 27, 2022, the death penalty was requested for Jeong. #4.

On May 17, 2022, she was sentenced to life imprisonment in the first trial. He was also ordered to wear a location-tracking electronic device for 20 years. ##

On November 3, the appeal was rejected by the second court, and she was sentenced to life imprisonment. The order to wear an electronic monitoring device was also upheld.