Criminal Minds Episode 17: The Sibling Killers

THE SIBLING KILLERS

THE SHOW HOME KILLERS The chilling story on the show apartment murders starts with the second murder. Terror. The trauma that terrifying moments inflicts on women makes them more than cautious about their personal safety. Some live to tell their tale but some women have no second chances. THE SECOND MURDER VICTIM A pair of high heel stiletto shoes and a pair of men’s shoes were left at the door of the glamorous show apartment. The killer had wined and dined the unfortunate lady; drugged and then, killed her. The next day, the show apartment was publicly launched and many well-dressed people had gathered at the opening to view their prospective future apartments. To their horror, the corpse of a woman who was murdered the previous night was discovered at the property mentioned. The NCI team, intrigued by the murder, analysed the crime.  Kim Hyun Joon hypothesized that the killer had lured her to the show apartment. The show home was fashionably decorated and fully-furnished. Using the utensils in the fully-equipped kitchen, the perpetrator had whipped up a romantic feast for two. Ha Sun Woo sounded outraged when she reported that the killer had even taken a bath in the bathtub which had been heavily scented with bath bombs. Red rose petals had been generously sprinkled on top of the water for romantic effect. The killer had treated the apartment as his home. Lee Han postulated that the killer was probably obsessed with his fantasy of an ideal home. Team Leader Kang urged them to study similar cases that had happened in the past. Kim Hyun Joon and Ha Sun Woo had arrived at the murder site. They paused in front of the apartment building. ‘Why did the unsub choose a show apartment?’ Ha Sun Woo wondered aloud. Kim Hyun Joon provided the answer. He suggested that it was easy to commit a crime there.  Eye contact was important in communication, so, he tried to catch her eye.  Casting a sidelong glance at Ha Sun Woo, he explained, ‘Show apartments are not as well guarded as most people think. The construction companies have temporary control over the buildings and some do not have permits to use surveillance cameras.’ Probably, affected by his masculine presence, Ha Sun Woo did not look at him so his eyes strayed to the building.  When he gazed at her again, she had refused to return the gaze but nodded at his words. ‘In fact, they are open to the public,’ he concluded. What he meant was any Tom, Dick or Harry could freely walk through the place without any security checks.  The security of such premises had been called into question. Finally, Ha Sun Woo stole a curious glance at him as she knew that he was already looking elsewhere. It was strange indeed that though they were standing in close proximity, she did not lock eyes with him.  Was she afraid that if she allowed herself to look directly into the strong and handsome profiler’s eyes, it would lead to a deeper connection with him? Lee Han was in a serious discussion with Yoo Min Young about the case in the NCI headquarters. Yoo Min Young suggested that the perpetrator of the murder could be a worker at the show home. The NCI genius believed that people who were under suspicion or on the police radar were those who had access to the show apartments: real estate agents, workers of the construction company, visitors, potential buyers and promotion workers. The security of the show homes was lax. Lee Han stunned his listener when he suggested that the password to the ‘show home’ building was probably ‘0000’ or ‘1234’. At the apartment, Ha Sun Woo could picture the murder scenario in her mind’s eye as she leafed through her notes. The discovery of undigested food in the victim's stomach was proof that she and possibly, the murderer, had been dining in the apartment. Kim Hyun Joon studied the bloodstains in the base cabinet where she was dumped. However, his eagle eyes observed that the floor was totally clean; there were no bloodstains or any traces of blood on it. THE FIRST MURDER VICTIM The NCI learnt of a similar incident that happened 2 months before. Unlike the second incident, the unsub had left bloodstains at the murder scene. The profilers were convinced that the first murder was unpremeditated; it  was caused by impulsive behaviour. The murderer had rummaged through the victim’s bag and belongings. One does not have to rack one’s brain to understand the implication of that act. Robbery. But, wait. Lee Han argued that it was possible that it was done on purpose to make it look like a robbery. Yoo Min Young reiterated that the second murder, in contrast to the first murder, showed no signs of murder and there were no bloodstains.  The question was, ‘Were the murders committed by the same person?’ THE MURDERER'S SIGNATURE Team Leader Kang analysed the evidence and theorized that the type of victims – women, and the way of killing women, that is, in show homes could be the killer’s signatures.  He concluded that the murderer in the first case and the one in the second case were one and the same. Lee Han brought up Jang Gi Tae’s shooting cases. He remarked that the murderers might resemble Jang.  After Jang’s first unintentional murder, he committed his following two murders because he wanted to re-enact a situation where he could experience the powerful feeling of shooting his victims. THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY Nana Wang reported that a week before the first murder incident, there was a similar assault case.  The victim was twenty-eight year old masseur, Park Ji Sun. Although she managed to escape from the clutches of her would-be killer, she was badly beaten. Team Leader Kang thought hard about the connection between the killers. 'After the attack, the unsub committed a murder. Two months later, he started killing again.' The police told Kim Hyun Joon that the water in the bathtub was still warm when the forensics team arrived. It was chilling that the murderer had stayed there until early morning. Kim Hyun Joon raised the fact that it was estimated that the victim was murdered between 12 midnight and 1 am.  The unsub had tidied up the mess, left the body in the sink and enjoyed his bath. The grisly details were too awful to be stomach. An important issue cropped up in Ha Sun Woo’s mind. There was a discordant piece of evidence that was puzzling.  The killer left the body in the sink and enjoyed his bath. He cleaned up the bloodstains and yet, he wasn’t afraid of leaving traces of himself behind. The pair of NCI profilers had to muster up their analytical powers to arrive at a  conclusion.  Prior to that, Lee Han had already provided an important clue. Kim Hyun Joon was reminded of his theory that the killer may have been obsessed with his fantasy of having the perfect home.  Kim Hyun Joon believed that the unsub cleaned up the bloodstains because his perfect home had gotten dirty. THE VICTIM WHO ESCAPED Team Leader Kang, Lee Han and Yoo Min Young visited the victim who had escaped from her would-be murderer. From the interview with her, the NCI team discovered that the killer had severely beaten her.  He was dressed in an old jacket and his sneakers had a lot of dirt. He had a stutter and was fiddling with a plumb bob that was used in construction work. In the midst of the interview, the NCI received a report on the forensic analysis of the unsub’s wine glass and the victim’s hair. Both had traces of Flakka, known as the ‘Zombie’ drug, the newest designer drug from the amphetamine family which induces extreme delirium and violent behaviour. THE MURDER VICTIMS After some intensive research, Nana Wang reported on the murdered women. They had worked as part-time dating partners and had appeared in dating websites which operated as prostitution rings. Their time and services could be procured at any time for a certain sum of money. So, what was the murderer’s modus operandi? Ha Sun Woo shared with Kim Hyun Joon that he contacted his victims from online prostitution sites. THE MURDERER'S PROFILE The profilers assembled at the NCI headquarters to discuss their findings. Kim Hyun Joon was convinced that the show homes represented a place where the criminal could fulfil his fantasies. He would spend his time with his ideal woman but if the fantasy did not turn out well, he would kill the woman. 'His victims could resemble someone who caused his trauma: his mother, wife or girlfriend,' Ha Sun Woo suggested. Team Leader Kang had an inkling that the perpetrator may fantasize about creating the perfect family. For one night, he would pretend that the show home is his ‘Home, sweet home’. It was likely that the suspect worked in the construction of the show home. 'The first crime was unintentional, the second was planned,' added Ha Sun Woo. Kim Hyun Joon was worried. The murderer, having committed the second murder under the influence of drugs, might continue with his murderous spree. THE THIRD VICTIM As predicted, two more murder victims were soon discovered. The third victim, a prostitute from ‘Date Mate’, had been bludgeoned to death. It was not enough to fulfil his fantasy; he could not control his urge to kill. The killer was probably homeless and kept moving from show home to show home. THE FOURTH VICTIM The fourth murder victim was not in the killer’s murder agenda.  The unfortunate young man, who delivered flyers, was also ruthlessly bludgeoned to death with a spanner because he had inadvertently stumbled upon the fatal assault that was taking place. THE FIFTH VICTIM The homeless killer, Kang Dong Min’s end was ironic; he was a murderer-turned-murder victim. It was spooky that his counsellor brother, Kang Dong Jun, impersonated him after his death. THE SIBLING KILLERS In the end, after delving more deeply and getting into the bottom of the show home murders, the image of the murderers took shape. It was revealed that there were two killers. And, the killers were siblings but they were not collaborators. The Kang brothers not only were compelled to fulfill their fantasy of possessing an ideal home, even for a night, they also could not help but succumb to their uncontrollable urge to kill. The first killer, Kang Dong Min, lured two women to the show homes. The first victim escaped but the second victim was killed. The second killer was the older of the two siblings. Kang Dong Jun had become a copycat killer of his brother, Kang Dong Min. He killed the second and third female victims, the unlucky young man who distributed flyers, and his very own brother, Kang Dong Min.