Man receives guilty verdict for murder hit list

Bloomington, Indiana – This week, a jury found former Bloomington resident Dongwook Ko guilty of organizing a scheme to kill a number of people while he was incarcerated in Clay County for an earlier offense.

In July 2019, Ko had previously used a pocketknife to choke and cut a 13-year-old girl who was enrolled in IU’s Summer Strings Academy.

Ko entered a guilty plea to the charge of being imprisoned illegally while carrying a lethal weapon. Although he was given an eight-year term to be served at home, U.S. immigration officials decided to have him detained rather than deport him.

Kidnapping with a deadly weapon was the subject of another charge related to the incident that was dropped.

In 2021, Ko faced charges of conspiracy to commit murder after it came to light that he had tried to recruit another prisoner to torture, incapacitate, and murder the 14 individuals he believes are accountable for his conviction.

Ko will serve a term of 10 to 30 years in jail for being on the hit list, according to Clay County Prosecutor Zachary Clapp. The sentencing will be discussed on November 29.