▲ Kim Sung-woo, suspect in the Songpa mother-in-law murder and wife kidnapping
A 26-year-old public service worker, Kim Sung-woo, who is accused of murdering his mother-in-law and kidnapping his wife in Songpa-gu, Seoul, has been handed over to prosecutors.
The Songpa Police Station announced on the morning of October 20 that Kim was sent to the Seoul Dongbu District Prosecutors Office on charges including retaliatory murder and retaliatory confinement under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes, as well as special assault and violation of the Stalking Punishment Act.
Kim is accused of going to his wife's family home in Songpa-gu at around 5:35 a.m. on October 11, attempting to forcefully drag his wife away, and fatally stabbing his mother-in-law in her 50s with a weapon after she screamed and tried to stop him.
He then threatened his 20-something wife, surnamed A, with a weapon, forced her into a vehicle, and took her to a wooded area in Yangyang-gun, Gangwon Province, where he confined her.
The mother-in-law was found at the scene in cardiac arrest and was transferred to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Wife A sustained abrasions but was safely rescued.
Kim and his wife A registered their marriage in February and separated in August.
A filed for divorce mediation with the court in late August, but later withdrew it and was in the process of filing a lawsuit to annul the marriage.
Police have been investigating the case with a focus on the possibility of a premeditated crime, based on the fact that Kim waited around the crime scene for about four hours while carrying a weapon.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency held a identity disclosure deliberation committee yesterday afternoon and released Kim's name, age, and mugshot.
The committee determined that the crime was severe, involved brutal methods, and that there was sufficient evidence to prove the offense.
It also took into consideration public interests, such as preventing recidivism and deterring crime.
(Photo: Capture from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency website)
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