Police issue arrest warrant for man in his 20s for murder of mother-in-law and kidnapping of wife... Parricide and special confinement

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Lee Eui-jin = The police applied for an arrest warrant a day after arresting a man in his 20s who murdered his mother-in-law, kidnapped his wife, and ran away.

He claims it was an accidental crime, but the police are continuing their investigation, weighing the possibility of revenge or a planned crime.

Seoul Songpa Police Station announced on the 12th that it had applied for an arrest warrant for Mr. A, a man in his 20s, on charges of parricide and special confinement to the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office on the 12th.

It has been a day since he was urgently arrested and transported to Songpa Station after he fled to Yangyang, Gangwon Province the day before.

It has been reported that the police plan to secure Mr. A for the time being and then conduct a follow-up investigation to determine whether there is any suspicion of revenge murder under the Aggravated Punishment Act for Specific Crimes.

Under the Special Price Act, the statutory punishment for revenge murder is the death penalty, life imprisonment, or imprisonment for more than 10 years, which is more severe than the normal murder charge.

The charge of revenge murder applies when a murder is committed in retaliation for providing clues or statements for the investigation or trial of oneself or another person.

Mr. A had been booked by the police last August on suspicion of repeatedly assaulting his wife.

At the time, the Suwon Gwonseon Police Station even conducted a search and seizure of Mr. A, but they were unable to secure him as he, a social worker, had been absent from work without permission for several days and had not responded to summons.

After his arrest, Mr. A generally admitted to charges including parricide in a police investigation.

However, it is reported that he is claiming that he only committed the crime accidentally due to emotional outbursts due to his relationship with his wife and did not plan the murder targeting his mother-in-law.

The police are investigating a planned crime based on the fact that Mr. A usually carried a weapon.

Even though it may not have been a carefully planned murder, we are also investigating whether he acted with the intention of causing harm to his wife or her family for some time.

After the police's domestic violence investigation begins, it is expected that forensic work will be conducted after securing mobile phones and electronic devices to confirm Mr. A's intentions and plans in detail.

He admitted to the charges of murder and kidnapping, but reportedly denied premeditation, saying he was only trying to distract his wife, who was in litigation.