July 25, 2020
18-year-old Javian Ezell and 18-year-old Gabrielle Austin, both from Louisiana and a third teen have been arrested for the murder of Arizona State University professor Junseok Chae. His remains were found at Northwest Regional Landfill on July 17.
Prof. Chae was reported missing on March 25.
According to Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, their investigation led them to Shreveport, Louisiana where local authorities arrested three teenagers inside a vehicle registered in Prof. Chae’s name. Upon their arrest, deputies were able to obtain information to ascertain Chae was the victim of a homicide.
Police later determined Ezell and Austin murdered Chae near Carefree Highway and Seventh Street in Phoenix, Arizona. They then threw his body into a dumpster, which then was taken to the local landfill.
Both Ezell and Austin have been extradited to Arizona and charged with first-degree murder, armed robbery, and theft of means of transportation. Their bond is set at $1 million, according to AZ Family.
It took police 48 days, averaging 15 people per day for about 10 hours per day to find Chae’s body. They moved about 1,400 dump truck loads of trash to find the body. The total cost of the search, not including man-hours was $304, 500, reported AZ Family.
Feature Image via AZ Family