By Lee Hyo-sik
The prosecution said Friday that investigators are trying to verify the existence of a tape that allegedly has a recording of a prime American suspect admitting to the “Itaewon murder” of a Korean collegian in 1997.
According to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, a man surnamed Choi reportedly said that he recorded Arthur Patterson on tape in the United States admitting to stabbing Cho Jung-pil, 23, to death in a restroom at a Burger King outlet in Itaewon in April, 1997.
Choi is known to be a friend of Edward Lee who was at the crime scene with Patterson.
The two teenagers at the time — Patterson, a U.S. military serviceman’s son, and Korean-American Lee — were named as suspects, following the murder.
Lee was indicted and received a heavy jail sentence from lower courts, but the Supreme Court ordered him to be acquitted in September 1999. Patterson, indicted for possessing an illegal weapon, was imprisoned for about eight months and released on Aug. 15, 1998.
Following Lee’s acquittal, Patterson was accused of the murder, but he fled to the United States in August 1999 after prosecutors made the mistake of not renewing a travel ban. Since then, the so-called “Itaewon murder” case has remained unsolved.
``After some media outlets recently reported that a tape, which recorded Patterson confessing to the murder, exists, we have been trying to contact Choi to verify its existence,’’ a prosecution official said.
He said it is too early to say that prosecutors have begun reinvestigating the case as Patterson is currently undergoing extradition procedures in the U.S.
“Confirming the existence of such tape should be seen as a step to secure more evidence in preparation for a full-fledged investigation at a later time,’’ he said.
The official said the American was released from jail as his sentence was suspended, adding that he should have remained in the country until his 18-month prison term ended. Previously, it was reported that Patterson was released on special parole.
The forgotten murder case attracted public attention again in 2009 when the film “The Case of the Itaewon Homicide,” depicting the murder, was released and public demand grew for the case to be reinvestigated.
The Ministry of Justice then asked the U.S. authorities to extradite Patterson.
Early this week, the ministry said the American was arrested in June and a local court in California is hearing arguments on whether to extradite him to Korea, 14 years after the homicide.
In 2006, a court ordered the state to pay 34 million won in compensation to Cho’s bereaved family, saying the family was deprived of a chance to see justice done through its failure to renew the travel ban on the accused.
leehs@koreatimes.co.kr