South Korean police announced on September 4 that Zheng Changsheng, a 31-year-old Chinese university lecturer suspected of killing a 25-year-old Chinese female student, has been transferred to the prosecution on multiple charges. Zheng Changsheng claimed that he and the victim were in a romantic relationship, and he killed her out of fear that she would disclose their relationship to the school, causing him to lose his job during an argument.
According to reports from the Korean news agency Yonhap, Zheng Changsheng allegedly killed the 25-year-old Chinese female graduate student and dismembered her body at his residence in Gyeongsan City, North Gyeongsang Province, around 6 a.m. on August 20. On the 4th of September, South Korean police announced that Zheng Changsheng has been transferred to the prosecution on charges of murder, destruction of evidence, abandoning and concealing the body, and obstructing public duties through deception, while revealing the results of the related investigation.
Zheng Changsheng confessed that he and the victim had a dispute over emotional issues. He told investigators, “I killed her because she threatened to expose our relationship to the school during the argument, and I was afraid of losing my job.”
As the victim is deceased and cannot provide testimony, the police stated that the investigation primarily relies on forensic examinations and polygraph results. The police mentioned that Zheng’s statements regarding their relationship during the polygraph test were considered credible. Based on the existing evidence, the police believe that the two individuals may have indeed been in a romantic relationship.
According to police information, the murdered female student was studying at the graduate school of Daegu Catholic University. She had already graduated and returned to China but re-entered South Korea on August 14 to attend the graduation ceremony, losing contact with her family a day before the ceremony.
Details reveal that Zheng taught at the graduate school where the victim was studying, instructing courses on rehabilitation therapy and neuroanatomy. He had planned to begin teaching courses on human anatomy and musculoskeletal disorders and treatments in the fall. The police stated that the victim had taken classes with Zheng.
On the day of the incident around 6 a.m., Zheng strangled the victim at his residence, dismembered her body, and disposed of body parts in various locations such as Gyeongsan, Gyeongju, Sangju, Daegu, and Gyeonggi Province, including a landfill, forest, and riverside areas, while hiding some remains in his residence. Authorities are still searching for victim’s body parts that have not been found.
Investigators also accused Zheng of submitting a false missing person report to create the illusion of the victim’s disappearance. Subsequently, Zheng dressed as a woman, carrying the victim’s phone, and went to Dongdaegu Station in an attempt to create the impression that the victim had been there.
Furthermore, Zheng Changsheng underwent a Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) test, the results of which did not indicate a psychopathic personality classification. Initially, Zheng had refused to undergo the test but later cooperated, leading to an evaluation by two psychologists.
The police stated that they will continue to investigate whether Zheng Changsheng was involved in other crimes during his tenure as a lecturer.