C, who is accused of confining and murdering friend A in an officetel in Mapo-gu, is attending a pre-arrest suspect interrogation (warrant hearing) at the Seoul Western District Court in Mapo-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 15th. A was found dead naked in an officetel in Yeonnam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, on the 14th. According to the police, A was malnourished and underweight, and there were signs of assault on the body. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] The police have decided to send two men who confined and subjected a man in his 20s to cruel treatment at an officetel in Mapo-gu, Seoul, to the prosecution on charges of retaliatory crime under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (Special Act).
At a briefing on the investigation results on the 21st, the Mapo Police Station said, "From April 1 to the 13th of this month, it was confirmed that the suspects confined the victim at his residence and continuously inflicted assault, injury, and cruel treatment, resulting in death," adding, "They bound the victim and left him in the bathroom, inflicting severe cruel treatment that led to his death."
The suspects, Ahn Mo (21) and Kim Mo (21), were also charged with violations of the Act on the Punishment of Violent Acts and Kidnapping for Profit. The police stated, "We secured evidence indicating that the suspects were aware that the victim could die," and "We judged that there was indirect intent." They added, "Instead of charging with death by confinement, the charge was changed to murder under the Special Act due to the recognition of retaliatory intent." The police also plan to send another high school classmate, B, who assisted the crime by providing Ahn’s movements, to the prosecution without detention along with Ahn and Kim.
According to the police, the two suspects were middle school and university classmates and began living together in an officetel in Gangnam, Seoul, since June last year. The victim, A, who lived in a provincial area, was a high school classmate of one of the suspects and appeared to have visited the officetel where they lived occasionally since July last year.
Later, when the victim A was voluntarily taken to the Yangjae Police Box in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on November 4 last year, police officers noticed signs of assault on A’s body and contacted A’s father, handing him over directly. Subsequently, on November 8, A’s father filed a complaint at Dalseong Police Station in Daegu, and on the 22nd of the same month, A appeared at Dalseong Police Station and gave a detailed statement, saying, "I was hit four times by the two men at an officetel in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul."
The investigation into the suspects for injury charges began on January 24 this year with the preparation of interrogation records. After being accused of injury, Ahn and Kim took the victim to Seoul on March 31 with the intent of retaliation and extortion, confining him. At that time, the suspects intimidated the victim by saying, "Let's go to Seoul, work, and pay off the debt." It is known that they demanded repair costs, claiming that A had damaged a laptop.
They later coerced the victim A (21) into signing a "withdrawal of complaint" contract and made him send a text message to the police stating that he was withdrawing the complaint. It was also confirmed that they forced small payments on his mobile phone, opened a mobile phone account in the victim’s name, and sold it, extorting about 6 million won.
The victim A was found dead naked at an officetel in Mapo-gu around 6 a.m. on the 13th. At the time of discovery, A was severely underweight at 34 kg due to malnutrition, and there were signs of binding and assault on his body.
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