A few days after being hospitalized due to assault by her ex-boyfriend, a woman passed away, but the National Forensic Service verbally indicated that the cause of death was not the assault, prompting the police to request a detailed examination.
The Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency announced on the 17th that they are investigating a man in his 20s, identified as A, who is suspected of repeatedly punching his ex-girlfriend, resulting in her death, without detention.
A is accused of visiting his ex-girlfriend B at a one-room apartment in Gohyeon-dong, Geoje-si, Gyeongnam, around 8 a.m. on the 1st, assaulting her by punching and strangling her, which led to her death.
A reportedly stated that he had been drinking heavily from the day before until the morning of the incident and was intoxicated.
B was diagnosed with traumatic subdural hemorrhage and other injuries, requiring six weeks of treatment, and was receiving care at a hospital in Geoje. She passed away on the night of the 10th due to multiple organ failure caused by sepsis.
The police arrested A immediately after B’s death, but the prosecution released him, citing that A had disclosed his whereabouts and there was no risk of evidence tampering or flight.
It is understood that the prosecution judged that the legal requirement of urgency was not met, considering that A admitted to the facts during the police investigation on the day of the incident and complied with the emergency arrest.
The National Forensic Service, which conducted an autopsy on B, verbally indicated that the cause of death was not the assault.
Accordingly, the police requested a detailed examination, including tissue analysis, from the National Forensic Service, expecting the final results to take about three months.
According to the police investigation, the two were high school classmates who entered the same university and department, had dated on and off for about three years since high school, and had broken up before the incident occurred.
The day before the incident, A and B argued over the phone because B did not keep an appointment to meet, and on the morning of the incident, A was found to have entered B’s rented room by opening the password lock.
They had many severe fights, and their parents, who witnessed these, had advised them to break up.
From December 2022 until this incident, there were a total of 12 reports of dating violence involving both parties, including mutual assault.
Of these, eight occurred in Gyeongnam, and the rest took place in the area where their university is located. Except for B being punished for special assault in July last year, most cases were either closed on-site or only reported because the parties did not want prosecution.
The police are investigating A on charges of injury resulting in death and trespassing, and are also considering applying stalking charges.
A police official stated, “Unlike domestic violence, child abuse, and stalking, dating violence is treated as assault under the Criminal Act, so if the victim does not want prosecution, there is no institutional mechanism to protect the victim,” adding, “Stalking is also considered excessive approach behavior against the victim’s will, so its application is under review.”
The official added, “We plan to conduct a thorough investigation, including digital forensic analysis of the two individuals’ mobile phones, to ensure there is no injustice.”
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