Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Murder Case Reopening? Unlikely

A story in The Korea Times today says Korean prosecutors want to reopen the "Itaewon Murder" case. The case alleges that on April 3, 1997, two teenagers stabbed a Korean college student at a restaurant in Itaewon.

The suspects are a Korean-American man and the son of an American soldier. One of the suspects, Edward Lee, was acquitted of the crimes due to a lack of evidence. The other suspect, Robert Patterson was found guilty on charges of possessing an illegal weapon, and went to the U.S. after serving 8 months in prison.

What are the chances of getting this case re-opened? I can't imagine they're much higher than 0%. While the idea of re-opening it is just in the stages, a Korean official admits the possibility of the U.S. government rejecting it on the grounds of double jeopardy.

Let's face it, the prosecutors failed to put these guys away the first time (if they did actually do it), so what have they gathered in the last 10 years that makes them feel they have a better shot? Did these guys actually do it, or does this go much deeper?

I think the reason this has gained a little traction is because a movie called "Itaewon Murder" came out last year and most likely reminded people of the event.

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