박고은 씨는 2020년 2월, 아이오와주 웨스트 디모인의 한 고급 콘도에서 자신의 남편을 플라스틱 케이블과 나일론 줄로 결박한 후 목졸림에 의해 질식사시킨 혐의를 받았다. 박 씨는 그날 저녁 경찰에 남편이 숨을 쉬지 않는다고 신고했다. 응급구조요원이 현장에 도착했을 때, 박 씨는 남편에게 심폐소생술을 시도하고 있었으나 남편은 이미 사망한 상태였다.

Gowun Park, 43, was charged with first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping after calling 911 for medical attention for her husband, Sung Woo Nam, 41, at their West Des Moines condominium on Feb. 15, 2020. Detectives summoned to the scene said Nam, who was determined to be dead, was tied to a chair with his hands and feet bound and a towel taped over his head.

The cord used to tie him to the chair was around his neck and the cause of his death was listed as strangulation, according to court documents. The case, argued before the Supreme Court Nov. 16, centered on the contention by Park’s attorneys that detectives improperly promised leniency if she spoke to them during interviews on Feb. 15 and 16, 2020. Prosecutors maintained that the detectives, though deceptive, had acted within the bounds of the law.