Current:Home > Stocks6 people accused of torturing, killing woman lured into religious group-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
6 people accused of torturing, killing woman lured into religious group
View Date:2024-12-23 20:39:20
A woman found dead in the trunk of a car earlier this week was allegedly lured to the U.S. from South Korea to join a religious organization, then tortured in the basement of a Georgia home, police said.
Six people, including a 15-year-old boy, have been arrested and charged with murder in connection with the woman's death, Gwinnett County police announced on Thursday.
The victim -- who is believed to be in her 20s to mid-30s -- is believed to have moved to the U.S. sometime over the summer to join what the suspects referred to as "Soldiers of Christ," police said.
"Apparently the victim was subjected to beatings, malnourishment -- which subsequently resulted in what the medical examiner's office believes was the cause of her death," Cpl. Juan Madiedo, a spokesperson with the Gwinnett County Police Department, said during a press briefing on Thursday.
Police believe the victim starved for several weeks and died sometime in late August. She weighed approximately 70 pounds when she was found on Tuesday, police said. Her body was also burned and wrapped in a blanket, according to the arrest warrants.
MORE: Man charged with murder of 2 women at same address, 7 months apart
The exact cause of death is still under investigation.
A relative of one of the suspects found her body in the trunk of a car parked in a shopping center parking lot in Duluth Tuesday night and called 911, police said. The suspect -- Eric Hyun, 26 -- allegedly asked the family member to retrieve an item for him from the car while he was in the hospital for unspecified injuries, police said.
The ensuing investigation led detectives to a house associated with Hyun in Lawrenceville, where evidence of the beatings was found in the basement, police said.
MORE: Arrest made in 1994 cold case murder of Virginia mother after DNA testing, confession: Police
In addition to Hyun, four other adults -- Gawom Lee, 26; Joonho Lee, 26; Juoonhyum Lee, 22; and Hyunji Lee, 25 -- and a 15-year-old were arrested and charged with felony murder, false imprisonment, tampering with evidence and concealing the death of another, police said.
Police said Friday that they have also secured multiple criminal street gang warrants for each of the suspects.
Georgia law describes a criminal street gang as "any organization, association, or group of three or more persons associated in fact, whether formal or informal, which engages in criminal gang activity," police said.
An attorney for Joonho Lee told ABC News he has no comment at this time. ABC News has reached out to the attorneys for Gawom Lee and Hyunji Lee for comment.
Online court records did not include any attorney information for Hyun and Juoonhyum Lee.
Three of the suspects are brothers, while Hyunji Lee is the girlfriend of one of the suspects, Madiedo said. All live at the home except for Hyun, who at one time lived there, Madiedo said.
Detectives do not believe there are any other victims or suspects, Madiedo said.
The victim was not publicly identified by police, who said Thursday that her family in South Korea had not yet been notified of her death.
veryGood! (28)
Related
- How to protect your Social Security number from the Dark Web
- Clean Energy Manufacturers Spared from Rising Petro-Dollar Job Losses
- 25 Fossil Fuel Producers Responsible for Half Global Emissions in Past 3 Decades
- Flood Risks from All Sides: Barry’s Triple Whammy in Louisiana
- Record-setting dry conditions threaten more US wildfires, drinking water supplies
- A Good Friday funeral in Texas. Baby Halo's parents had few choices in post-Roe Texas
- Kim Zolciak’s Daughters Send Her Birthday Love Amid Kroy Biermann Divorce
- Judge Orders Dakota Access Pipeline Review, Citing Environmental Justice
- GM recalls 460k cars for rear wheel lock-up: Affected models include Chevrolet, GMC, Cadillac
- Soaring Costs Plague California Nuke Plant Shut Down By Leak
Ranking
- Arkansas governor unveils $102 million plan to update state employee pay plan
- Kansas doctor dies while saving his daughter from drowning on rafting trip in Colorado
- This Week in Clean Economy: NJ Governor Seeks to Divert $210M from Clean Energy Fund
- ICN’s ‘Harvesting Peril’ Wins Prestigious Oakes Award for Environmental Journalism
- Horoscopes Today, November 10, 2024
- Here's what really happened during the abortion drug's approval 23 years ago
- Amazon Reviewers Call This Their Hot Girl Summer Dress
- Oil and Gas Drilling on Federal Land Headed for Faster Approvals, Zinke Says
Recommendation
-
California voters reject measure that would have banned forced prison labor
-
MLB power rankings: Orioles in rare air, knocking Rays out of AL East lead for first time
-
With 10 Appointees on the Ninth Circuit, Trump Seeks to Tame His Nemesis
-
Foo Fighters Reveal Their New Drummer One Year After Taylor Hawkins' Death
-
NFL Week 10 winners, losers: Cowboys' season can no longer be saved
-
Check Out the Most Surprising Celeb Transformations of the Week
-
Documents in abortion pill lawsuit raise questions about ex-husband's claims
-
Man arrested after allegedly throwing phone at Bebe Rexha during concert