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The murder of a mother and her three daughters by Lee Ho-seong, a professional baseball star from the 1990s, destroys our very trust and belief in reason and goodness. It makes us wonder just how desolate the world has become and how cruel human nature can be. And the shock felt by others is even greater since Lee, who committed suicide after the crime, was a star athlete who decorated the baseball diamond, becoming a familiar face to Koreans.
It appears that the murdered woman, identified as Kim, had trusted Lee and depended on him. Kim is said to have introduced Lee to her friends as either her husband or someone she planned to marry, and the two looked for a house together. Before the tragedy, Kim's eldest daughter is said to have told a friend that she was leaving on a trip with a man who would become their new father. Lee brutally murdered the mother and her daughters, ages 13, 19 and 20.
After murdering Kim and the two younger daughters in their home, Lee is said to have called the eldest daughter on her mobile phone to track her down and kill her. Police checked Lee's mobile phone records and discovered that he met the eldest daughter in downtown Seoul. One shudders at the thought of Lee driving around the city, carrying the corpses of Kim and her two daughters in his car, as he pursued the eldest child. Police say they have confirmed that from the onset Lee had no intention of marrying Kim.
Lee sprayed ink on Kim's bed to try to cover up the bloodstains and buried the bodies near his father's grave. Two days after the crime, he used Kim's mobile phone to send a text message to an employee of her restaurant, telling him to take care of things over the weekend. Looking at his actions following the crime, it's hard to believe that Lee was once a beloved sports figure.
Police believe that Lee murdered Kim after she demanded the repayment of W170 million (US$1=W970) he had borrowed. Regardless of how much money he owed following his business failures, it's chilling to see how a beast buried deep inside Lee managed to jump out. News of the murders makes one hate the world and distrust other people.
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