The May 2 broadcast of “Brave Detectives 4” on E Channel delivered another harrowing dose of real-life crime-solving. Episode 32 followed detectives as they tackled two haunting cases—one involving the brutal murder and postmortem sexual assault of a young woman and another exposing a double homicide cracked through expert blood pattern analysis.
Case 1: Woman’s Body Found Bound and Assaulted—Killer Was Her Neighbor
The episode began with a chilling report: a body had been discovered wrapped in a tarpaulin in a quiet alley. The victim, a woman in her late 20s, was bound with laundry rope, gagged with a blue rubber glove, and dressed in an oversized vest. Her bruised face and tied arms hinted at foul play. She had been missing for over a month, with her younger sibling filing the report.
An autopsy confirmed the cause of death as asphyxiation by neck compression, and horrifyingly, signs of postmortem sexual assault were also found. The investigation intensified as detectives matched laundry rope found in her home to a roll located inside a nearby house belonging to a man named Mr. Park, her direct neighbor.
Park, who had skipped work the day after the suspected murder and matched multiple forensic leads—including the glove and vest origins—eventually confessed. He admitted to luring the victim in with intent to rob her but denied the sexual assault. Despite this, forensic evidence, including DNA on the rope and the victim’s body, tied him to the crime.
Park was sentenced to 15 years in prison, leaving viewers disturbed yet amazed by the methodical police work that cracked the case.
Case 2: Bloodstain Analysis Solves Double Murder
In the second case, CSI expert Lee Chang-yong recounted an equally gruesome double homicide. The scene unfolded in a two-story house where a man in his 60s had been stabbed, leaving a trail of blood from his bedroom to the street. His son, who found him, reported that the attacker had even searched the kitchen for another knife.
As detectives investigated, the injured victim disclosed that the suspect had already killed his girlfriend. Officers rushed to the suspect’s home, where they found her body wet in the bathroom, surrounded by cleaned but traceable blood evidence.
Bloodstain patterns on walls and furniture told the true story. The woman had been attacked beneath the dining table and violently struck with a weapon, debunking the suspect’s claim that she had attempted self-harm. Additional analysis showed “cessation cast-off” patterns—blood spatter caused by a weapon abruptly stopping—confirming the deliberate nature of the attack.
The man, previously convicted of 14 offenses including attempted murder, later attempted to feign suicide by chewing on wild plants in a park. He was ultimately sentenced to life in prison.
“Brave Detectives 4” continues to grip audiences by diving deep into Korea’s most disturbing crimes, highlighting the dedication of real-life detectives and forensic specialists. The series airs every Friday at 9:50 PM KST and streams on Netflix, TVING, and Wavve, with exclusive behind-the-scenes content available on YouTube and Instagram.