DULUTH, Ga. (AP) — Five adults and a 15-year-old self-described as “Soldiers of Christ” religious group members were in custody Thursday on murder charges after a woman’s body was found in the trunk of a car parked outside a popular spa in Georgia.
These booking photos provided by the Gwinnett County Police show five suspects in custody after a woman’s body was found in the trunk of a car outside a Georgia spa. (Gwinnett County Police)
Investigators said that someone reported the discovery Tuesday night outside of a Korean spa and sauna in Duluth. Authorities said the spa does not appear involved.
The victim, according to arrest warrants, was starved and beaten for weeks before she eventually died. Her identity has not been released.
Facing charges of felony murder, false imprisonment, tampering with evidence and concealing the death of another are Eric Hyun, 26, of Suwanee; Gawom Lee, 26; Joonho Lee, 26; Juoonhyum Lee, 22; Hyunji Lee, 25, and a 15-year-old, all from Lawrenceville.
All are being held without bond. It was unknown if any of them had an attorney who could speak on their behalf.
Detectives believe Hyun was the driver of the car that contained the victim’s body.
Police said Hyun parked the vehicle early Tuesday, then called a relative to pick him up. The family member then took Hyun to an Atlanta-area hospital for unrelated injuries. While there, he asked the family member to get a personal item from the parked vehicle.
This crime scene photo provided by Gwinnett County Police shows the basement of a Lawrenceville, Ga. home where police believe a woman was beaten and starved to death. (Gwinnett County Police)
When the family member went back to the vehicle, he discovered the woman’s body in the trunk and called 911, police said.
The investigation resulted in a search warrant for a Lawrenceville home that has ties to Hyun. Detectives believe the crime occurred in the home’s basement, police said.
Authorities believe the victim recently moved to the United States from South Korea to join a religious organization, known as Soldiers of Christ. The suspects referred to themselves as members of the group, investigators said.
