In a horrific homicide case from May of this year, a young, 24-year-old Korean man committed to the brutal murder and burial of his girlfriend, 26-year-old Sunny Kim. But the shocking story doesn’t end there–the young man, who under Korean law can only be referred to as Mr. Lee, had actually confessed to the killing himself and told police where to find Sunny’s body. After murdering her, Mr. Lee had put Sunny into a small suitcase and buried her body under cement near her home.
The motive for murder had been Sunny’s attempt to break up with Mr.Lee. He had strangled her to death after she tried to call off the relationship, and police noted additional bruises, broken bones and other injuries on the body that were incurred during the murder. Following the murder, Mr. Lee had actually spent two full weeks responding to friends and family with Sunny’s cell phone, pretending to be her. He even went so far as to decline a job offer that Sunny had accepted only days before her death.The two had a tumultuous relationship, and Mr. Lee had a history of being violent and abusive to Sunny in the past.
Domestic violence affects millions of people every year, with 85% of the victims being women. In fact, 1 in four women will “be the victims of severe violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime”. In an effort to spread awareness about the devastating effects of domestic violence and to share Sunny’s story, her family has started a website in her honor, and her sorority sisters have started a campaign to raise money for Sunny’s legal and funeral costs, which you can contribute to here.
If you or someone you know are in an abusive situation and need help, call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) for the National Domestic Violence Hotline or visit the National Sexual Assault Online Hotline operated by RAINN. For more resources, visit the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s website.
