Suspect Arrested in Murder of Woman in Her 30s Following Multiple Domestic Abuse Reports

The husband in his 30s, identified as the primary suspect in the murder of a woman in her 30s who had reported domestic violence to the police five times and was provided with a smart watch, has been captured about 4 hours and 20 minutes after the crime.

Gyeonggi Gwangju Police Station urgently arrested Mr. A on murder charges today (September 1).

Mr. A is accused of stabbing and killing his wife, Ms. B, who was undergoing divorce proceedings, with a weapon on the external stairs of a multi-family housing unit in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, at around 7:17 AM.

Ms. B reported the attack using the smart watch provided by the police and was transported to a hospital, but ultimately passed away.

Mr. A arrived at the scene wearing a pulled-down hat on a motorcycle, committed the crime, and immediately fled.

The young daughter who was with Ms. B at the scene at the time of the incident was not seriously injured.

Initiating an investigation, the police targeted her husband, Mr. A, who is a public official, as the primary suspect based on factors such as Ms. B undergoing divorce proceedings, and set out to track him down.

Using CCTV and communication tracking, the police apprehended Mr. A at a motel in Jangan-gu, Suwon, at around 11:40 AM, approximately 4 hours and 20 minutes after the crime.

It is reported that Mr. A was attempting to make an extreme choice at the time of his arrest.

It has not been confirmed whether Mr. A admits to the charges.

Previously, records showed that Ms. B reported to the police or requested counseling a total of five times from March of last year until recently, stating she suffered domestic violence from Mr. A.

However, the police explained that each time, Ms. B expressed her intention that she did not want Mr. A to be punished.

Accordingly, the Suwon Jangan Police Station, which has jurisdiction over Ms. B's residence, conducted its own investigation last May, booked Mr. A on domestic violence charges, and forwarded the case to the prosecution.

It is reported that Ms. B also showed signs of not wanting punishment for Mr. A during the time the police converted their pre-booking inquiry into a formal investigation and conducted questioning.

Following this incident, Ms. B began living separately from Mr. A and had been residing in a multi-family housing unit in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, while proceeding with a divorce since last month (August).

It is known that Ms. B also obtained a temporary protection order decision from the court while pursuing the divorce.

The temporary protection order includes separating the perpetrator from the victim's residence, prohibiting approach within 100 meters, and banning access via telecommunications.

The police provided the smart watch after Ms. B consulted with them, stating, "I suspect my address was exposed to my husband because I did not request confidentiality for my residence during the service of divorce lawsuit documents."

The police suspect that Mr. A figured out the new address of Ms. B, who was living separately, through the court's document service and committed the crime.

The police plan to investigate the detailed circumstances of the incident against Mr. A.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.