Mysterious Murder of U.S. Student in Korea
Jan. 22 -- A little over a year ago, Kenzi Snider became the first U.S. citizen ever to be extradited to stand trial in South Korea after being charged with and confessing to the murder of a fellow student.
But the country's courts ruled her confession inadmissible and acquitted her twice, and now a single decision from that country's Supreme Court will determine whether or not she will ever return home a free woman.
In the spring of 2001, Snider, then a 19-year-old student at Marshall University in West Virginia, was an exchange student at Keimyung University in Taegu, South Korea. Jamie Penich, 21, a junior from the University of Pittsburgh, was also in that program.
After just two weeks of classes, a group of six students, including Penich and Snider, went to the capital city of Seoul for what was supposed to be a fun weekend trip.
They found a cheap motel in Itaewon, the heart of Seoul's nighttime entertainment, right next to the big U.S. military base. It was St. Patrick's Day when they arrived, and there was a rowdy crowd on the streets.
The group wound up at a bar, hanging out with American G.I.s, and partying long past midnight. Penich and Snider were the last to leave the bar, at around 3:00 am.
Back at their motel, a seedy place frequented by G.I.s and prostitutes, Penich decided to take a shower to sober up before going to bed, Snider said. Snider, who was staying in another room with another roommate, said she checked on Penich before she went to bed.
But the next morning, Penich's roommate made a horrifying discovery. Penich had been brutally beaten to death — stomped so hard that her face was unrecognizable. Some of her teeth were knocked out, and her blood was splattered on the bathroom walls.
Restored Memories?
By February 2002, Penich's body had been returned home and laid to rest in her hometown of Derry, Pa.
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