A teenager is among six members of the Soldiers of Christ group charged with murder after the body of a beaten and starved woman was found in the trunk of a car.
Officers were called to the parking lot of a Korean spa in Duluth, Ga., Tuesday evening after a body was discovered in the trunk.
The victim, police say, was starved and beaten for three weeks at a Lawrenceville property before dying.
After a search of the property, detectives said they believed the basement of the home was where the crime took place.
After the discovery, detectives charged six people with murder: Eric Hyun, 26, Gawom Lee, 26, Joonho Lee, 26, Juoonhyum Lee, 22, Hyunji Lee, 25, and Junyeoug Lee, 15.
Officers were called to the parking lot of a Korean spa in Georgia Tuesday evening after a body was discovered in the trunk.
Police said they believe Eric Hyun, pictured here, was the driver of the silver car that contained the victim.
Following the discovery of the body and a subsequent search of a property, police arrested and charged six people, five of whom are pictured above.
Police say the group is part of a religious group known as the Soldiers of Christ.
They also said they believe the victim left South Korea for the United States during the summer of this year in an effort to join a religious organization.
The woman’s body weighed only 70 pounds when she was found, and death notifications have not yet been made to her family in South Korea.
In addition to the murder charge, the group was also accused of false imprisonment, tampering with evidence and covering up the death of others.
Footage shared by police shows the basement where they say the beating took place, much of it redacted because of the blood.
Police said they believe Eric Hyun was the driver of the silver car that contained the victim.
After leaving it outside the spa, he allegedly called a family member to come pick it up.
The family member then drove him to an Atlanta area hospital due to unrelated injuries, and while at the hospital, Eric asked the relative to retrieve a personal item from the car .
Upon returning, the family member discovered the victim’s body in the trunk of the car.
The investigation led to a search warrant for a Lawrenceville home that police believe has ties to Hyun.
The group was accused of kidnapping, tampering with evidence and covering up the deaths of others. Pictured: The basement where police say the crime took place
During a press conference, Cpl. Juan Mdiedo said: “This search warrant provided substantial evidence to charge the individuals with the crime.
“During the investigation, it appears that the basement (of this address) is where the crime took place.
“Detectives believe the victim was brought from South Korea over the summer under the guise of joining a religious organization.
“They called themselves “Soldiers of Christ.”
Due to the state of decomposition of the body, investigators were initially unable to identify the gender of the victim, police said. WSB-TV.
The Korean spa near where the body was discovered said in a statement: “Police have confirmed that this incident is in no way related to the sauna.
“We are sorry for the victim and his family.”
All are being held without bail. It was unclear whether any of them had an attorney who could speak on their behalf. Jail records do not list the name of an attorney and they were not yet listed in Gwinnett County’s online court records.
A police spokesperson said Friday that investigators believe they have arrested everyone involved and are no longer investigating the Soldiers of Christ.
