Wife Murdered After Large Debt Discovered
Denies Charges Completely... Claims "Wife's Extreme Choice"
An army non-commissioned officer accused of killing his wife and staging it as a fatal traffic accident was found to have attempted, but failed, to claim a large death insurance payout.
On the 7th, Yonhap News obtained the indictment of Army Sergeant A (47), who faces charges of murder and violation of the Special Act on the Prevention of Insurance Fraud, and reported accordingly. According to the indictment, on the morning of March 8, the day of the crime, A called the insurance company asking, "It seems my wife is also injured; has the claim been processed?" attempting to receive approximately 470 million won in death insurance benefits, but the attempt was unsuccessful.
119 rescuers are conducting rescue operations at the scene of a traffic accident that occurred last March in Guho-dong, Donghae-si, Gangwon Province. [Photo by Gangwon Provincial Fire Department, Yonhap News]
At the time of the crime, A was burdened with debts totaling about 290 million won, including approximately 80 million won in bank loans and multiple debts to savings banks and credit card companies, and was experiencing financial difficulties, having taken several short-term loans due to failure to repay on time.
Unaware of these circumstances, A’s wife, B (41), who had asked A to provide bank ID and password after he purchased a TV for their children's academy fees, discovered through this access that multiple loan principal and interest repayments had been made from their bank accounts. During an argument over this, A killed B. Given these circumstances, it appears that upon being exposed for hiding large debts, A committed murder and then attempted to use his wife’s death insurance payout to repay his debts.
Investigators believe that A caused B’s death by strangling her neck at their home, then moved her to the passenger seat of a vehicle using a travel bag, and deliberately caused a traffic accident. However, A has consistently denied the charges from the early stages of the investigation until now.
According to Nam Eon-ho, attorney at Vincent Law Office representing the victim’s family, A initially claimed drowsy driving caused the accident, but after the investigation intensified, he changed his statement to say, "My wife took her own life, and I was transporting her to the hospital to avoid showing this to our children when the accident occurred."
However, the National Forensic Service’s autopsy found 'compression marks' on B’s neck, and despite severe fractures at B’s ankle bones that pierced the skin during the traffic accident, only a small amount of blood was found, among other evidence suggesting homicide.
Attorney Nam stated, "This case is not an accident caused by chance but a murder committed by the husband," adding, "Since A continues to fully deny the charges, the bereaved family feels strong anger and hopes the truth will be revealed and the perpetrator will be punished."
A was arrested and has been on trial 100 days after the incident, which occurred around 4:52 a.m. on March 8 on a road in Guho-dong, Donghae-si, Gangwon Province, where he staged a fatal traffic accident by crashing into a retaining wall while carrying his deceased wife B in the passenger seat.
The bereaved family applied to the military prosecution for disclosure of A’s personal information, citing the brutality of the crime and the severity of the damage, but the request was denied due to concerns over potential human rights violations of A’s minor children and A himself. The Third Regional Military Court will hold A’s first trial on the 10th.
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