Suspect Stopped Mental Illness Treatment Voluntarily
Accused of Killing Half-Brother and Convenience Store Employee
The female convenience store employee in her 20s, who was the victim of the 'Siheung stabbing incident' that occurred on the 12th, passed away after a day of treatment.
The Siheung Police Station in Gyeonggi announced on the 14th that the victim, Ms. C in her 20s, was transported to the hospital in a state of cardiac arrest and died at 8:50 p.m. on the 13th, one day after the incident.
The pre-arrest detention hearing for A (35), who is charged with murder, was held that morning at the Ansan branch of the Suwon District Court. The decision on whether to issue an arrest warrant is expected to be made late in the afternoon.
After the initial investigation on the day of his arrest, A did not undergo further questioning the next day as he underwent surgery on his injured hand sustained during the crime. Regarding the motive, A reportedly gave incoherent statements that were considered somewhat unreliable and presumed to be delusional.
A is accused of killing his half-brother B at their residence in Siheung City at around 6:50 p.m. on the 12th with a weapon found inside the house. About 10 minutes after the first crime, he went to a convenience store adjacent to the residence and stabbed the female employee in her 20s, Ms. C, multiple times, causing her death. Investigations revealed that A entered the convenience store wielding the weapon and indiscriminately attacked Ms. C, who was behind the counter.
According to the police, there were two customers in the convenience store at the time, but the crime was committed so quickly that no one was able to intervene. The police responded to a witness report and arrested A as a suspect on the street about 50 minutes later.
A was diagnosed with a mental illness in April last year and was hospitalized for several days before being discharged. He took medication for about a month but reportedly stopped taking it on his own. From around the same time, A began living in the same house with his mother, stepfather, and half-brother B. The police estimate that A’s symptoms gradually worsened as he did not continue treatment.
A was unemployed and mostly stayed at home, with little interaction with others. It has been preliminarily determined that he did not know Ms. C, the victim in this case.
A police official stated, "Not only the suspect A but also A’s mother, who was present at the scene, sustained hand injuries and is receiving treatment, so the investigation is not yet complete," adding, "A’s statements about the motive are inconsistent." The police plan to conduct a detailed investigation once the decision on A’s detention is made.
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