On a spring afternoon in 1997, Cho Chong-pil, a 22-year-old South Korean college student, and his girlfriend were shopping in Itaewon, a bustling city in Seoul. They had just had lunch and were enjoying the bustling street scene. It was a beautiful day, and even the breath of youth wafted in the air.
Zhao Chongbi is in his youth, wearing a simple and neat T-shirt, jeans, and a peaked cap, which is the image of a young boy everywhere in college towns. His girlfriend is beautiful and moving, with long black hair and a light blue cheongsam, fresh and natural. The young figures of the two are intertwined in the warm spring light, which is extraordinarily harmonious, and seems to have infinite possibilities.
Just after eating a hamburger at noon, Zhao Chongbi suddenly wanted to go to the toilet, so he and his girlfriend entered a burger king on the street. His girlfriend was waiting outside the door, and the ignorant Zhao Chongbi had already brushed shoulders with death. Humming a brisk ditty, he pushed the door open.
Just then, a terrified customer rushed out of the restroom, shouting "Murder, murder!" His clothes were splattered with blood, his face was pale, and his expression was extremely frightened. All this violently broke the harmonious and warm atmosphere outside the house. The casual chatter of customers at Burger King came to an abrupt end, and all eyes were on the restroom.
Sure enough, there was blood stains in the bathroom, and Zhao Chongbi fell in a pool of blood, with a lot of wounds. His originally white face had lost its blood, and he lay there quietly, no longer hearing the noise of the outside world, nor seeing the warm spring sun. The staff hurriedly called the police, and Zhao Chongbi was quickly taken to the hospital, but died of his injuries. His young life ended suddenly.
Police identified the suspects as two American minors, one of whom was a family member of the U.S. military. The involvement of foreign nationals makes it more difficult to arrest. However, with the cooperation of the U.S. military, Patterson was soon arrested at the Yongsan base, and the knife was also found at the base. Another suspect, Edward, voluntarily surrendered three days later, accompanied by his father.
In April 1997, South Korean and American police interrogated two suspects and confessed contradictory confessions
South Korean and U.S. police questioned two juvenile suspects. Both were tall, with Edward being particularly muscular and having short, thick blond hair. Patterson is mediocre, except for a gang tattoo on his left arm.
The two had different expressions during the interrogation. Edward's face was expressionless, cold and perfunctory, and his attitude was arrogant, as if he did not care about his situation. Patterson, on the other hand, cringed a little, carefully choosing his words, and his expression revealed a lack of heart.
The two confessed completely differently, accusing each other of doing it. This has caused great trouble to the investigation of the South Korean and American police.
According to Edward, he and Patterson had just smoked the D product while eating on the fourth floor, and it was the first time they tried it, and they both quickly became excited. Patterson suddenly pulled out the dagger he was carrying with him and showed it to him. At first, Edward thought he was joking, but was quickly caught by the shiny blade. The two were extremely excited, and after arriving in the bathroom on the first floor, Patterson suddenly stabbed a man in a series of stabs, fast and ferocious. This sudden atrocity frightened Edward in place.
According to Patterson's account, it was Edward who suddenly suggested that the two of them come to the first floor. Patterson thought he was just going to find a more secret place to smoke D-product, but he saw Edward repeatedly playing with his dagger in front of the mirror in the bathroom, looking fanatical and gloomy. Edward then suddenly snatched the knife and stabbed a man. Patterson claimed to be standing on the sidelines, his clothes stained with blood because the victim had lunged on him.
In 1997, a South Korean court tried the first and second trials and found Edward as the murderer
In the case of the U.S. military's Criminal Investigation Department and the South Korean police judging that Patterson was the murderer, South Korean prosecutor Park Jae-moo came to a completely different conclusion. He believes that the murderer is Edward for several reasons: Edward has a strong physique and the ability to subdue Zhao Chongbi; Patterson clearly remembers the details, while Edward's inability to remember indicates that he was mentally confused; The polygraph shows that Edward is lying.
Park Jae-moo is a young prosecutor in South Korean prosecutors known for his vigorous and resolute approach. Perhaps it was because he was so confident that he hastily made the wrong judgment when the evidence was not conclusive. In his opinion, this is just an ordinary criminal case, and solving the case is a breeze for him. Therefore, when the conclusions of the American and South Korean police were contrary to his own analysis, he did not think much about it, rejected their views, firmly believed that his reasoning was correct, and prosecuted Edward.
As a result, Edward was sentenced to life imprisonment and 20 years in prison in the first and second trials. This is undoubtedly an extremely harsh sentence. For Edward, who is not yet 20 years old, this is tantamount to taking away all his youth and future.
In September 1998, the Supreme Court acquitted the two men
Faced with the verdict, Edward appealed. He has never given up on justifying his name, but the road ahead is particularly difficult and dangerous.
In September 1998, the Supreme Court of South Korea overturned the verdict and acquitted Edward, finding that there was no conclusive evidence. Just a month earlier, on August 15, Patterson had been released from prison early for an amnesty.
So far, the only victim in this murder case, Zhao Chongbi, has not been convicted. Zhao's family was devastated when they learned of the results. They are extremely dissatisfied with the procedures and results of the South Korean police and courts, and they are deeply distressed. How can a young life die like this, but the truth is beyond doubt, how can they heal the pain in their hearts?
In August 2000, the killer Patterson absconded from South Korea and returned to the United States
Under pressure from public opinion, in May 1999 South Korean prosecutors prepared to re-indict Patterson. However, as soon as the three-month deadline expired, the exit restrictions were automatically lifted by the prosecutor's negligence. On August 23, Patterson left his residence in a hurry and flew to the United States by various means. Justice that was just around the corner is gone.
In 2009, the movie "Itaewon Murder Incident" was released, and the case was refocused
More than 10 years later, in September 2009, South Korea released a movie called "Itaewon Murder", which once again ignited the indignation of the people.
The film depicts the events from multiple perspectives, and the soundtrack and scenes are extremely impactful. Zhao Chongbi, who died innocently, was like the audience's relatives, touching the hearts of countless people. Patterson's evil deeds are so bad that the movie even adds scenes of him smug after the murder. The moviegoers scolded Patterson as a scumbag and a demon. They questioned the prosecution, insisted that Patterson was the real killer, and demanded a re-investigation and brought to justice.
Under this pressure, the prosecution transferred the case and re-examined it. They found that Patterson's location at the time of the crime did not match the blood splatter, and that there were contradictions in his account. This became the key to re-establishing Patterson's guilt.
In September 2015, the killer Paterson was extradited back to South Korea to face trial
In November 2009, the Republic of Korea filed an extradition request. In 2011, the United States agreed to extradite. But Patterson hired top-notch lawyers and kept creating all kinds of obstacles to stall for time. His defense attorneys even claimed that Patterson had been "reintegrated into society" and should not be deported.
In September 2015, Patterson was finally extradited back to South Korea. Throughout the process, Patterson remained expressionless and indifferent, with no remorse in the slightest. He didn't seem to take the right to life seriously in the slightest. The airport still denies its guilt. A month later, the court heard a trial, and both Patterson and Edward were present to testify and defend.
In January 2017, Patterson was sentenced to 20 years in prison
In January 2017, after a detailed trial, the Supreme Court of South Korea finally made a ruling. Edward was acquitted of complicity in murder. Patterson, on the other hand, was convicted of homicide for his contradictory confession at the time of the crime. After 20 years of court proceedings, this murder case has finally turned a new page.
The court found that Patterson's account did not match the bloodstains at the scene, and he was eventually punished for the crime and sentenced him to 20 years in prison. This is the maximum penalty for juvenile offenses under Korean law.
After Zhao Chongbi's family learned of the result, although they finally gave in, they were still heartbroken about the pain that could not be calmed down from the past.
To this day, however, Patterson still denies his guilt. We can't help but ask, what is the meaning of an innocent life to him, and how can this coward who does not care understand what justice is?
He may never understand. Today, 20 years later, he is no longer the reckless teenager he was back then, he is a father and a husband. Whether he will understand what he has done at a later time? We don't know.
And we can only sigh at this time, although justice is late, it has finally arrived. But that was 20 years later! It was no longer deafening, and it was powerless to heal the pain of the victims' families. We must face up to the slowness of the legal process and the inadequacy of the allocation of judicial resources.
Is justice so silently gone? We have to admit that perhaps we cannot give a positive answer.