Jewelry Store Owner Murdered in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province
Over 20 Million Won Worth of Jewelry Stolen
Suspect Changed Clothes After Crime... Passport Found in Bag
A man in his 40s who murdered a jewelry store owner in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, was found to have committed the crime in a premeditated manner, including changing his clothes after the incident.
The suspect changed into a suit after the crime. Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency, Yonhap News Agency
According to a report by Yonhap News Agency, Bucheon Wonmi Police Station in Gyeonggi Province announced on January 16 that it plans to request an arrest warrant for a man in his 40s, identified as A, on charges of robbery and murder.
A is accused of stabbing and killing a woman in her 50s, identified as B, the owner of a jewelry store in Wonmi-gu, Bucheon, at around 12:07 p.m. the previous day, then stealing more than 50 pieces of jewelry (worth approximately 20 million won) and 2 million won in cash before fleeing the scene.
Police investigations revealed that after the crime, A changed into a suit he had prepared in advance, discarded his previous clothes on the street, and took several taxis to escape to Jongno-gu, Seoul.
A and B did not know each other, and it was determined that A specifically targeted a jewelry store operated by a woman alone as the site for his crime.
By analyzing CCTV footage from the scene, police identified the suspect and, with cooperation from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, apprehended A on the street in Jongno-gu, Seoul at 5:34 p.m. the previous day, about five hours after the incident.
It was found that he resold the stolen jewelry at several different jewelry stores. At the time of his arrest, he was also in possession of the weapon used in the crime, cash, and his passport.
During police questioning, A reportedly stated that he committed the crime because he was heavily in debt.
Earlier, B's husband found her collapsed in the jewelry store and called emergency services at 1:01 p.m. the previous day, reporting that his wife had been stabbed. B, who had suffered severe injuries to her chest and other areas, was transported to the hospital by emergency responders in cardiac arrest but did not survive.
The police are also considering whether to disclose A's personal information. Under the Act on Disclosure of Information of Suspects of Specific Serious Crimes, a suspect's identity may be made public if the crime was committed in a cruel manner, resulted in significant damage, and the suspect's criminal acts have been sufficiently proven.
The police believe A committed the crime in a premeditated manner and plan to investigate the specific details of the incident.
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