Former LoL pro arrested for murder after allegedly strangling woman to death

Former League of Legends pro Lee ‘Yaharong’ Chan-ju was arrested in Hanoi, Vietnam on murder charges after allegedly strangling a woman to death and fleeing the scene.

According to a report from Vietnamese news site iThethao, the woman Yaharong rented a hotel room with refused his advances, at which point he got aggressive.

He argued with her, leading to him strangling her and covering her face with a pillow until she suffocated to death. Afterward, he reportedly got in an elevator bound for the 65th floor of the hotel with the intention of taking his own life.

However, before he could get to one of the hotel’s top floors, he was apprehended and identified as Lee Chan-ju, also known as Yaharong, a man who competed as a League of Legends pro player for several years.

According to iThethao, he’s being extradited back to his home country of South Korea for legal proceedings.

Ingrid Muhlenbrock/Riot Games

Yahargon’s pro career formally started with Jin Air Green Wings under the name ‘Grace’ for the 2018 LCK Season.

This team’s 2019 run was historically disastrous, with them being the first team to go 0-18 in an LCK regular season back in Summer 2019. Additionally, they only won one match in Spring 2019, leaving their record for the year at 1-35.

The team is still known for having one of the biggest loss streaks in competitive LoL history.

After Jin Air disbanded in late 2020, Yaharong went to Fredit BRION and was their starting mid-laner for a few months at the beginning of 2021, only to be taken off the starting roster. He remained a sub for the rest of 2021 and moved on to DetonatioN FocusMe, a Japanese LoL team, to kick off 2022.

He’d find domestic success on DFM, qualifying for both MSI and Worlds in 2022 but not making it far at either international competition. Following his departure from DFM at the end of 2022, he’s been inactive as a pro player.