‘Soldiers of Christ’ mom-and-son murder suspects plead not guilty
By Ryan General
Two members of the Lee family, accused in the chilling “Soldiers of Christ” murder case, entered not-guilty pleas in their court appearance in Gwinnett County, Georgia, on Wednesday.
Catch up: The case revolves around the Lee family from Lawrenceville, with three brothers and their mother accused of holding 33-year-old South Korean woman Seehee Cho captive in their basement. Cho was found dead in the trunk of a car outside a Gwinnett County spa on Sept. 12, 2023.
Authorities said the defendants, who refer to themselves as “Soldiers of Christ,” lured Cho to Atlanta under the guise of joining a religious organization. The group then subjected Cho to prolonged abuse, including beatings and malnourishment.
How they pleaded: Mihee Lee, 54, and her 15-year-old son, Junyeong Lee — who is being tried as an adult — faced the court on Jan. 17, reported The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The defendants responded with not guilty pleas to charges including murder, false imprisonment, concealing death, tampering with evidence and violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.
The five other accused, Joonho Lee, 26; Joonhyun Lee, 22; Hyunji Lee, 25; Gawon Lee, 26; and Eric Hyun, 26, previously pled not guilty under Georgia’s RICO Act.
Alleged victim: One of the defendants, Hyun, who allegedly drove Cho’s body to the spa, claims to be a victim of the family’s religious extremism. His attorney, David Boyle, released a statement asserting that he escaped the home on Sept. 12 with Cho’s remains.
“Eric was recruited to join the church by Joonho Lee,” Boyle said, as per WSB-TV. “Eric was physically tortured… He was stripped naked and shot with an airsoft gun all over his body, causing over a hundred wounds.”
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