"After 'Let's break up' remark, man stabs live-in girlfriend and pushes her from 19th floor to death... Prosecutors indict man in his 30s"

Drugs Detected in Hair... Police Request Supplementary Investigation
Support for Crime Victims Requested for Bereaved Families

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin, Legal Affairs Specialist] A man in his 30s who stabbed his live-in girlfriend multiple times with a weapon and then pushed her off the 19th-floor balcony of an apartment after she told him she wanted to break up has been brought to trial.

On the 14th, the Criminal Division 3 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Seo Jeong-sik) announced that Kim Mo (31) was arrested and indicted on murder charges the previous day.

According to the prosecution, Kim started dating A since August last year and began living together earlier this year. On the 17th of last month, Kim severely questioned A about her relationship with another man at an apartment in Seocho-gu, Seoul, where they lived together.

Unable to endure Kim's excessive obsession, A told Kim she wanted to break up. Enraged, Kim took a kitchen knife and stabbed A's entire body about ten times.

Not stopping there, Kim pushed A off the 19th-floor balcony of the apartment, causing her to fall to the ground. A ultimately died from a crushed skull fracture due to the fall.

Immediately after the crime, Kim called 112 himself and said he would also attempt suicide, but was stopped and arrested by the responding police officers.

On the day of the crime, the police arrested Kim under current law, detained him on the 20th of the same month for investigation, and transferred him to the prosecution on the 25th.

Meanwhile, the prosecution stated that due to the method, circumstances, and Kim's criminal record, there were suspicions that the crime was committed under the influence of drugs. They requested urine and hair analysis from the DNA Chemical Analysis Department of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, which detected drugs in Kim's hair.

Before the trial, the prosecution judged it necessary to confirm whether Kim had used drugs and whether this influenced the murder, and thus requested supplementary investigation from the police.

The prosecution explained that, according to the revised Prosecutors' Office Act reflecting the adjustment of investigative authority between prosecution and police, there could be controversy over whether drug-related crimes discovered during a murder investigation fall within the prosecutor's scope of investigation. Therefore, they did not conduct a direct investigation but requested supplementary investigation from the police.

Additionally, the prosecution requested support for crime victims, including relief funds and psychological treatment expenses, to assist the bereaved family suffering from A's death.

The prosecution stated, "Based on the results of the police's supplementary investigation regarding drugs, we will review whether the defendant's drug use influenced the murder and take necessary measures to maintain the prosecution."

They added, "The prosecution will maintain a cooperative relationship with the police to respond strictly to violent crimes and ensure that offenders receive punishment commensurate with their crimes, making every effort to uphold the prosecution."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.