Suspect harbored grudge over stalking report, killed former partner
Police ruled it premeditated, applied retaliatory murder charges
A suspect in their 60s who killed a former partner in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, after harboring a grudge over a stalking report has been transferred to prosecutors in custody.
The Eunpyeong Police Station in Seoul said Friday it had forwarded the suspect, identified only as A, 64, to prosecutors on charges of retaliatory murder under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Specific Crimes, as well as violations of the Stalking Punishment Act.
A is accused of beating the victim in the face with fists and a blunt object, then strangling the victim to death. The victim's mobile phone was reportedly damaged during the assault.
Police said their investigation found that A had prepared the murder weapon in advance — including a dumbbell — after growing resentful when the victim filed a stalking complaint that led to a police investigation and trial.
Police received a missing-persons report from the victim's family at around 6:40 a.m. Wednesday and launched a search. Officers later found the victim dead at A's residence and arrested A at the scene. The killing took place at around 12:02 p.m. on Tuesday, the day before the body was discovered.
A told police the killing was impulsive, claiming it occurred in the heat of an argument. Police, however, concluded it was a premeditated crime in which A lured the victim to the residence with the intent to kill, citing the suspect's movements and evidence that the murder weapon had been prepared beforehand.
Police also confirmed additional stalking offenses through closed-circuit television footage. A is believed to have visited or loitered near the victim's home and workplace 17 times between Oct. 23 and the day of the killing, against the victim's wishes.
A had previously been arrested in July on suspicion of visiting the victim's home and strangling the victim. The Mapo Police Station in Seoul, which handled that case, applied for a detention warrant on charges of violating the Stalking Punishment Act, assault and theft, but a prosecutor declined to seek the warrant, citing the need for further investigation and A's poor health following cancer surgery.
Police subsequently applied for a provisional measure, and A was held in a detention facility for one month from July 23 to Aug. 22. After release, A wore an electronic ankle monitor until Oct. 22 and committed the killing roughly two weeks after the monitoring period ended.
kido@heraldcorp.com
