A 22-year-old woman accused of drugging and killing two men in a series of motel encounters in Seoul meets the clinical critera to beconsidered a psychopath, police said Wednesday, as investigators examine whether the crimes were premeditated.
The Seoul Gangbuk Police Station said the suspect, identified by her surname Kim, scored above the domestic cutoff on the Psychopathy Checklist Revised, or PCL R. The test measures traits including callousness, impulsivity, lack of empathy and irresponsibility.
The assessment consists of 20 items with a maximum score of 40. In Korea, individuals who score above 25 are typically classified as psychopaths. Police said Kim’s score exceeded that threshold and the results were forwarded to prosecutors the same day.
Kim is accused of giving drug laced drinks to three men in their 20s between December and February, leaving two dead and one unconscious.
Investigators said the alleged crimes began on Dec. 14, when Kim gave a beverage mixed with prescription medication to a man she was dating in a cafe parking lot in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province. The man survived but was sickened.
Police said the suspect later carried out two fatal attacks. On Jan. 28 and Feb. 9, Kim allegedly gave drinks containing benzodiazepine based medication to two men in their 20s at motels in Seoul’s Gangbuk district. Both victims died.
Investigators believe the crimes may have been planned rather than impulsive. Police said the amount of drugs used increased significantly from the second incident onward.
Authorities also found that the suspect searched generative artificial intelligence tools, including ChatGPT, for information such as lethal doses of sleeping pills and the risks of taking sedatives with alcohol.
hnpark@heraldcorp.com
