Believing They Reconciled... Another Tragedy That Could Not Be Prevented

[Anchor]

Initial police response is coming under fire regarding the case where a woman in her 40s who had sought help for stalking victimization was murdered by her former partner. The tragedy occurred despite the head of the police pledging active responses to related crimes after a similar incident took place in Daejeon last year.

Reporter Pyeon Gwanghyeon has the report.

[Reporter]

In July of last year in Daejeon, a man in his 20s murdered a woman he had been in a relationship with on the street after they broke up.

At the time, then-Acting Police Commissioner General Yoo Jae-sung promised to actively respond to relational crimes, conduct a comprehensive inspection of individuals subject to restraining orders, and isolate perpetrators if the risk was high even if the victim did not want punishment.

Three months later, on the 24th, the woman in her 40s who was murdered reported her former partner, A, to the police.

The reason was that he persistently harassed her by contacting her more than 10 times a day.

At that time, the police issued an order prohibiting A from approaching or contacting her, but three weeks later, when the victimized woman returned her smart watch claiming they had reconciled, A's protective measures were lifted.

Two months later, a 112 report was received stating that the two were arguing, but the case was closed after a statement was made that it was dialed by mistake.

Then, ten months later on the 24th, the victimized woman was found dead at her home.

The police stated that A's stalking behavior lacked persistence and the victim did not actively cooperate with the investigation, making it impossible to manage A any further.

[Bae In-ho / Head of the Detective Division, Daejeon Jungbu Police Station: After being arrested, the suspect made statements admitting to the charges, saying, "I was wrong, I want to die." We are currently investigating the suspect's motive....]

However, critics point out that violence occurring in relationships such as romantic partners often involves victims asking not to pursue punishment out of fear of retaliation, raising criticism that the police may have easily closed the case by relying solely on statements.

The police plan to apply for an arrest warrant for A on murder charges.

(Video by Kim Nam-sung | Video Editing by Lee Sang-min | Graphics by Yang Gi-tae)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.