Australian Police Charge Taekwondo Instructor With Murder Over Killing of Student, Family

Australian law enforcement authorities charged a taekwondo instructor with murder over the killing of his seven-year-old student and his parents in Sydney.

The suspect was charged while he was in his hospital bed on Thursday. Lawyers for the 49-year-old instructor, Kwang Kyung Yoo, appeared on his behalf in the Parramatta Local Court hearing. However, they did not apply for their client to be released on bail or enter any plea to the charges.

Australian Taekwondo Instructor Charged With Murder

The taekwondo instructor, who is the owner of the Lion's Taekwondo and Martial Arts Academy and known to his students as Master Lion, remains under police guard. He is currently staying at a hospital after undergoing surgery for what law enforcement officials described as stab or slash wounds to his chest, stomach, and arms.

Additionally, police claim that Yoo strangled his student as well as the young boy's mother, Min Cho, to death at his academy on Monday evening. He then allegedly drove her car to the family's home where he fatally stabbed her husband Steven Cho, as per the Independent.

The suspect then allegedly drove himself to the hospital where he told medical staff and police that he had been attacked in a supermarket car park. Law enforcement authorities then discovered the bodies of the victims on Tuesday.

So far, police have not disclosed a motive for the violence nor said whether or not Yoo was injured in a struggle or the wounds were self-inflicted. The suspect's only connection to the family that was made public so far was that all four were born in South Korea and that the boy was a regular taekwondo student.

The suspect is required to remain in custody either under police guard in hospital or in prison until his case is due back in court on Apr. 18. He is also expected to appear in court on that date via video. He did not appear in court on Thursday.

Killing of 7-Year-Old Boy and Family

In a statement, homicide commander Det. Supt. Daniel Doherty said that the chain of events and circumstances of the crime were "not only tragic, but the consequences were cataclysmic." He told reporters that the victims were a loving family, according to The Guardian.

The young boy was believed to have been scheduled for a lesson at the taekwondo school on Monday. Doherty added that it has been a harrowing experience for the family and friends of the victims, noting that they are still dealing with the matter.

Doherty also said that they are working on establishing what other connections or other relationships may have existed between the suspect and the victims. He described the discoveries on Tuesday as a "tragic turn of events."

He also sought further assistance from the public and encouraged anyone in the vicinity of the taekwondo studio on Monday night who had seen or heard anything that could help with the case to immediately contact investigators, said Yahoo News.

Additionally, law enforcement authorities were encouraging the public for any footage of the BMW on Monday night. The vehicle is the car that belonged to the young victim's mother.