Stalking case closed without referral last year

Police reviewing whether killing was premeditated, weighing identity disclosure

A staged image depicting stalking behavior. [Getty Images Bank]
A staged image depicting stalking behavior. [Getty Images Bank]

Police have sought an arrest warrant for a man in his 40s suspected of killing his former partner, who had previously reported him for stalking. The suspect has admitted to the killing but claims it was an impulsive act.

The Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency said Monday it had applied for an arrest warrant for the suspect, identified only as A, on murder charges.

A is accused of assaulting and strangling a woman in her 40s, identified as B, at her home in Jung-gu, Daejeon, on Saturday before fleeing the scene.

Immediately after the killing, A removed the SIM card from his mobile phone and took a taxi to Incheon International Airport. He then traveled to Gangneung in Gangwon Province before being apprehended by police at a lodging facility at around 7:40 a.m. Sunday.

However, police said A had not purchased any airline tickets and that there was no confirmed indication he had attempted to flee the country by other means.

A admitted to the charges during police questioning but claimed the killing occurred impulsively during an argument with B. Police are investigating whether the crime was premeditated, including through digital forensic analysis of his mobile phone, and are also reviewing whether to apply additional charges beyond murder.

During the investigation, police confirmed that B had previously reported A for stalking.

In October last year, B told police that after asking A to end their relationship on Oct. 10, she had received dozens of missed calls and text messages from him in a short period.

At the time, police issued emergency protective measures restricting A from approaching B or contacting her by phone or text. B was also given a smartwatch for her personal safety.

About 20 days later, however, B said she had reconciled with A and did not wish to pursue punishment. She returned the smartwatch early, ending police monitoring of her case.

Police determined that A's conduct did not constitute persistent or repeated stalking and closed the case without referral to prosecutors in November of that year.

Further incidents between the two were reported afterward. A 112 emergency call was made during an argument on Dec. 27 last year, but both parties told the responding officers that the call had been accidentally triggered during a minor quarrel and apologized.

Police found no evidence of criminal conduct and closed the case at the scene. They later reviewed B's prior stalking report history and reclassified the December incident as intimate partner violence.

Police subsequently attempted to monitor B but said she did not answer their calls, so they sent her a text message with information on available support.

Police noted that a system classifying offenders into three risk levels — under which arrest warrants for high-risk individuals must be reviewed within seven days — was introduced this year and therefore did not apply to the earlier case.

Police plan to conduct an autopsy on B on Tuesday. They are also reviewing whether A meets the criteria for public disclosure of his identity.


woo@heraldcorp.com