Three days before trial, a Bloomington man accused of stabbing and choking a 13-year-old two years ago on the IU campus has pleaded guilty to one felony charge.
Dongwook Ko pleaded guilty to criminal confinement while armed with a deadly weapon, a Level 3 felony.
Another felony charge, of kidnaping while armed with a deadly weapon, was dismissed. Ko is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 30. A Level 3 felony carries a potential sentence of 3 to 16 years. His jury trial was to begin Monday.
Read More: 17-Year-Old Charged With Attempted Murder Following Stabbing On IU Campus
According to court documents, the victim was practicing violin on July 12, 2019, in the Music Annex Building while attending a summer camp in the IU Jacobs School of Music.
Ko, who was 17 at the time and acquainted with the victim, entered the room where she was practicing and convinced her to follow him to a locker room on another floor.
Read More: Ko Released On Bond, Attorney Files Notice Of Defense Of Mental Illness
There, Ko was accused of grabbing the girl by the throat and choking her for several seconds before police say he began slashing and stabbing her, according to the documents.
An IU employee pulled Ko off the girl, but Ko escaped and was later apprehended at his home.
Originally, Ko was charged with attempted murder and three other felony counts.
Ko is a South Korean citizen and has lived with his mother, Jeeyeon Kim, in Bloomington since 2011. Ko was in the U.S. on an F1 student visa as a graduate student at IU.
