WEST DES MOINES, Iowa – Police in West Des Moines have arrested a woman accused of killing her husband over the weekend.
West Des Moines Police say Gowun Park is charged with first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping in the case.
Police say emergency responders were called to 8350 EP True Parkway at 6:45 p.m. Saturday on a 911 call about an unconscious person. When officials arrived they found Park performing CPR on her husband, 41-year-old Sung Nam.
The criminal complaints in the case say Nam’s lips were blue and he had no vital signs. Ligature marks were also visible on the front of his neck and throat.
Nam was pronounced dead after being transported to a metro hospital.
According to the complaint, Park admitted to officers that she had bound Nam’s hands and feet with zip ties and then used a rope to tie him to a chair around 10:30 or 11:00 a.m. She then, “stuffed an item of clothing in Mr. Nam’s mouth to prevent him from yelling and placed duct tape over his mouth. She further duct taped a towel over his head, covering his eyes.”
Shortly after 5:00 p.m., Park told officers Nam was in distress and requested to be untied but she did not free him.
Following an investigation into Nam’s death, Park was taken into custody. She is being held in the Dallas County Jail.
Police say there is no ongoing danger to the public and their investigation is continuing.
Channel 13 learned Park was an economics professor at Simpson College. The college released this statement:
“West Des Moines police have informed Simpson College that Dr. Gowun Park, Assistant Professor of Economics, has been arrested and charged in the death of her husband in a Des Moines suburb. The investigation is ongoing, and police have informed us there is no threat or any link to the campus community. The college has suspended Dr. Park and will cooperate with authorities in their investigation.
Simpson College
If you have any questions regarding the situation, please contact Christie Denniston Simpson College, Executive Director of Marketing and PR, at Christie.denniston@simpson.edu or at 303-827-5164.”
Park’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for February 28th. Bond is set at $5 million.
