Police have requested an arrest warrant for a man in his 60s accused of killing a woman in her 40s in Jeju Special Self-Governing Province in retaliation for her reporting him to police for stalking and sexual violence.
The Jeju Western Police Station said on the 20th that it had sought an arrest warrant for the man, identified only as A, on charges of revenge murder under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, along with aggravated trespassing, preparation for arson of an occupied building, aggravated detention and attempted aggravated confinement.
A is accused of stabbing his former partner, a woman in her 40s identified as B, to death on a street in front of a hotel in Yeon-dong, Jeju City, at about 1:38 a.m. on the 12th of this month. He is believed to have ingested pesticide while fleeing after the killing. After his capture, he complained of health problems and received hospital treatment before being admitted on the 13th.
Police temporarily released A in consideration of his health, then executed an arrest warrant upon his discharge and questioned him twice more about his motive.
Police initially applied an ordinary murder charge. But after reviewing the circumstances before and after the killing, the evidence collected and the suspect's statements, they changed the charge to revenge murder. Investigators also added a charge of preparation for arson of an occupied building after confirming that A had placed paint thinner and a knife beside the first-floor staircase of the victim's residence before the killing.
Police also applied charges of aggravated detention and attempted aggravated confinement over allegations that A forcibly dragged B to his rental car parked on the street at the time of the killing.
"After a comprehensive review of the evidence secured at the time of the crime and the statements made during questioning, we concluded that five charges are warranted," a police official said.
B had reported A to police four times between October last year and May this year for stalking, sexual violence and dating violence, according to police. All of those reports ended in warnings or were closed without further action because B did not file a formal complaint or did not seek punishment.