A man in his 40s who killed a former girlfriend in Daejeon and fled was arrested by police in Gangneung, Gangwon State, about 18 hours after the crime. The victim had reported being stalked last year and was issued a smart watch, but later returned the device after telling police she had reconciled with the man and did not want him punished.
The Daejeon Jungbu Police Station said on the 25th that it had arrested a man in his 40s, identified as A, in Gangneung, Gangwon State, on a murder charge and was questioning him.
A is accused of killing a woman in her 40s, identified as B, at an apartment building in Daejeon's Jung District on the 24th before fleeing. B was found by a family member who visited her home at about 1:55 p.m. that day. Police, who opened an investigation after the family's report, arrested A at a lodging business in Gangneung at about 7:40 a.m. on the 25th, roughly 18 hours after the crime.
A is believed to have removed the SIM card from his mobile phone after the killing and taken a taxi to Incheon International Airport. Police are investigating the details of his flight, including whether he attempted to leave the country. Police imposed a travel ban, and A's passport had already expired. A is also reported to have sent a text message to an acquaintance hinting at taking his own life.
According to police, a stalking complaint involving A and B had been filed last year. On Oct. 10 last year, B called the 112 emergency line to report that A was repeatedly contacting her by phone, text message and KakaoTalk.
Police at the time booked A on suspicion of violating the Anti-Stalking Act and issued emergency protective orders No. 1 and No. 2, restricting him from approaching or contacting her. They also gave B a smart watch and took safety measures including registration for priority 112 response and tailored patrols around her home and workplace.
On Nov. 3 that year, however, B visited the police station and said she had reconciled with A and did not want him punished. She returned the smart watch at that time. Police concluded that the conduct was difficult to classify as persistent and repeated stalking and closed the case on the 25th of that month without referring it to prosecutors.
Conflict between the two continued afterward. On Dec. 27 last year, police received a report of a dispute between A and B at B's home. B told police at the time that the 112 call had been triggered during a minor argument. Police closed the case at the scene after finding no evidence of harm or any criminal offense.
Police plan to seek an arrest warrant after questioning A about his exact motive and the circumstances of the killing.