A man in his 20s accused of killing a man in his 70s whom he did not know at a home in Seoul's Gangbuk District has been detained and referred to prosecutors.
Seoul Gangbuk Police Station said on the 14th that it had referred the suspect, identified only as A, to the Seoul Northern District Prosecution Service that day in detention on charges of robbery-murder, fraud and violating the Specialized Credit Finance Business Act. Police changed the charge from murder to robbery-murder after concluding that A had intended to steal money and valuables.
Police found that A left the scene immediately after the killing with the victim's mobile phone, credit card and gold ring. Investigators also confirmed that A obtained a total of 9.27 million won in financial gain, including 4.92 million won in fraudulent card use.
A is accused of strangling the victim, a man in his 70s identified as B, at a home in Beon-dong in Seoul's Gangbuk District at around 11 p.m. on the 3rd of this month. Police identified A as a suspect after analyzing closed-circuit television footage from around the scene and arrested him without a warrant at about 1 a.m. on the 5th.
Investigators determined that A followed B home on the day of the incident and then attacked him. In questioning, A told police that he had gone to confront B after their shoulders collided on the street, and that he killed him on impulse.
However, police analysis of CCTV footage found no images of B bumping into anyone on his way home. Investigators concluded that A and B did not know each other.