Man in His 40s Found Murdered,
Brother-in-Law Takes Own Life Days Later
In connection with the death of a North Korean defector in Gijang-gun, Busan, the police have requested a pretrial detention warrant for the victim's older sister on suspicion of murder.
The Gijang Police Station announced on December 26 that on December 23, it had applied for a pretrial detention warrant for Ms. B (female, in her 50s), the older sister of Mr. A (male, in his 40s), a North Korean defector who was found dead in an apartment in Gijang-gun last summer, on suspicion of murder.
The prosecution requested a detention warrant for Ms. B on December 24, the following day. The warrant review hearing is scheduled to take place on December 30 at the Dongbu Branch of the Busan District Court.
According to the police, at around 8 p.m. on August 29, Mr. A was found dead in the living room of his sister and brother-in-law's home. Ms. B had left the house at around 5 p.m. that day and returned about three hours later, when she discovered her brother Mr. A lying in the living room and reported it to the police. At the time, Ms. B's husband, Mr. C (male, in his 50s), was reportedly asleep in a room. Mr. A had defected from North Korea 10 years ago and had been living near his sister, frequently visiting her residence, according to the investigation.
The initial autopsy determined that Mr. A died of asphyxiation due to neck compression. The police estimated that Mr. A was strangled by another person one to two hours before the report was made, and explained that no clear defensive wounds were found at the scene. During the early stages of the investigation, the police questioned the sister and her husband as witnesses, but stated that there was insufficient evidence at the time to justify an emergency arrest.
Several days after the incident, around September 3, Mr. C, the brother-in-law, was found dead in his car. A suicide note was discovered at the scene, and the police believe that Mr. C took his own life.
Recently, based on the National Forensic Service's findings that a substance identical to the sleeping pills taken by Ms. B was detected in Mr. A's system, the police identified Ms. B as a suspect. The police are investigating the possibility that Ms. B administered sleeping pills to both Mr. A and Mr. C before committing the crime.
Ms. B's side has completely denied the allegations. They stated, "There is no reason to harm my brother, who defected with me," and raised the possibility that the husband may have committed the crime, citing marital conflict at the time and the fact that the brother had often mediated between the couple. They also argued, "The initial investigation was inadequate, resulting in a missed opportunity to uncover the truth."
The police stated, "We are conducting the investigation in accordance with the law and procedures, based on the evidence and testimonies obtained."
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