Police have sought an arrest warrant for the head of the investigation team at Gwangju Gwangsan Police Station, who handled the murder of a female high school student in Gwangju, on charges of destroying evidence.
The National Police Agency's "Special Investigation Team for Fact-Finding on the Gwangju Gwangsan Police Station Murder Case," led by Hong Jang-deuk, the National Police Agency's investigation and human rights officer, said Sunday that it had sought an arrest warrant for Inspector A, the head of the investigation team at Gwangju Gwangsan Police Station, on charges of destroying evidence.
Inspector A is suspected of destroying cable ties found inside Jang Yoon-gi's sport utility vehicle (SUV) rather than securing them as evidence, during a search and seizure of the vehicle shortly after the incident on May 5 this year.
At the time, the investigation team found the cable ties inside the vehicle before the forensic team arrived, but did not collect them as evidence or seize them, according to the findings.
Police are focusing on the possibility that the cable ties were key evidence that could have been used to restrain the victim. The controversy is growing because a key clue in the "rape-murder" charge, which could have led to at least a life sentence for Jang Yoon-gi, has disappeared.
The special investigation team is also examining allegations of collusion between the case's investigation team and Inspector Jang, a serving police officer who is Jang Yoon-gi's father.
The special investigation team, which was expanded to 27 members the previous day under the National Police Agency's leadership, added a team leader and six investigators from the headquarters' Serious Crimes Investigation Division on the morning of the same day. The special investigation team is conducting its investigation independently, excluding the Gwangju Police Agency's chain of command.
"We plan to conduct a broad investigation of those involved in order to clarify in detail the related charges, including evidence destruction, and the circumstances behind them," the special investigation team said. "We will investigate thoroughly and strictly so that not a single public suspicion remains."
