Suspect used ChatGPT in planning drug killings: police

Queries about drug-laced drinks emerge as key factor in determining criminal intent

A suspect with the surname Kim appears at the Seoul Northern District Court on Feb. 12 for a warrant hearing on charges of killing two men at motels in Seoul’s Gangbuk-gu. (Yonhap)

A woman suspected in two deaths via drug-laced drinks was found to have used ChatGPT in planning the crime, police said Thursday.

The suspect surnamed Kim, in her 20s, is accused of killing two men by giving them drinks containing benzodiazepines that she had been prescribed for a mental illness, according to the Seoul Gangbuk Police Station.

The police investigation revealed that she had entered questions into ChatGPT about the risks of administering the drugs beforehand, including, "What happens if you take sleeping pills with alcohol?” “How much would be considered dangerous?” and “Could it be fatal?”

Kim was referred to prosecutors under detention on murder charges rather than on charges of inflicting bodily injury resulting in death, as police concluded that she had intent to kill based on her online history. The lesser charge applies when a suspect intended to cause injury but unintentionally caused the victim’s death.

“Kim repeatedly asked questions related to drugs on ChatGPT. She was fully aware that consuming alcohol together with drugs could result in death," an investigator said.

Kim's first alleged attack took place at 9:24 p.m. on Jan. 28, when she entered a motel in Suyu-dong, Gangbuk-gu, with a man in his 20s. She left the motel alone about two hours later. The man was found dead the following day at around 6 p.m. on a bed inside the room.

Using the same method, she allegedly killed another man in his 20s on Feb. 9 after the two checked into a different motel in Gangbuk-gu together.

Prior to the serial motel drug killings, the woman allegedly attempted a similar crime in December last year. While at a cafe parking lot in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, she gave a man in his 20s whom she was dating at the time a drink mixed with drugs, causing him to lose consciousness. He survived and was not in a life-threatening condition.

Kim admitted to police that she mixed her prescribed psychiatric medication into a hangover drink and gave it to the victims, but denied any intention to kill them.

Police have conducted a psychopathy assessment and in-depth interviews with the suspect, with the assistance of a profiler, to determine her psychological profile. The findings may be taken into account in the prosecution’s decision-making process.