▲ Suspect A, accused of murdering a Japanese woman he knew, heading to court
Police are focusing their investigation on uncovering the exact motive behind the murder of a Japanese woman in her 20s in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, by a man in his 30s whom she had met only three times.
According to the Cheonan Seobuk Police Station, police deployed a profiler from the South Chungcheong Provincial Police Agency to interview suspect A (in his 30s), who has been arrested on murder charges, for two and a half hours starting at 2:00 PM today (November 4).
Based on the interview results, police plan to analyze A's psychological state and the credibility of his statements to determine the exact motive for the crime.
Police have also requested digital forensics on A's mobile phone to analyze search history and call logs prior to the crime.
The mobile phone of the victim, a Japanese woman, which had been difficult to analyze due to being locked, was handed over by the bereaved family yesterday and submitted for forensic analysis.
It was reported that the family of the victim managed to unlock the phone.
The victim's phone is considered a key clue that will shed light on how the two met and the circumstances of their encounter on the day of the crime.
So far, message exchange records between the two have reportedly not been confirmed.
Suspect A stabbed the Japanese woman in her 20s to death with a weapon around 4:20 PM on October 28 at an officetel in Dujeong-dong, Seobuk-gu, Cheonan, and fled using public transportation to Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, before being apprehended early the next morning.
A is reportedly maintaining his previous statement, saying, "I lost about 5 million won in stock investments and decided to die, but I was scared to die alone and wanted to die together with the victim."
Considering that the victim was found without her upper garments, police are investigating from multiple angles, leaving open the possibility of a sexual crime.
Police plan to forward A to the prosecution on November 6, when his detention period expires.
(Photo provided by reader, Yonhap News)
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