A man in his 40s who killed a jewelry shop owner in Bucheon, Gyeonggi, and fled after stealing jewelry has been arrested and detained.
According to legal sources on the 18th, Judge Kim Byung-jin of the Bucheon branch of the Incheon District Court on the previous day held a pre-arrest suspect hearing (warrant review) for A on suspicion of robbery and murder and issued an arrest warrant, citing concerns about destroying evidence and fleeing. A did not appear for the warrant review.
Around 12 p.m. on the 15th, A allegedly killed B, a woman in her 50s who owned a jewelry shop in Wonmi District, Bucheon, Gyeonggi, with a weapon and fled after taking more than 50 pieces of jewelry worth about 20 million won at market prices and 2 million won in cash.
Immediately after the crime, A changed into a suit prepared in advance, threw the clothes that were worn onto the street, and fled by switching taxis multiple times, was found. Police identified the suspect using on-site closed-circuit (CC) TV and urgently arrested A on a street in Jongno District, Seoul, at about 5:34 p.m. the same day.
At the time of arrest, A had already disposed of the stolen jewelry at several jewelry shops. A was also said to have been carrying the weapon used in the crime and a passport.
A police investigation found that A and B did not know each other. A reportedly told police that the crime was committed "because of heavy debt." Police believe A targeted a jewelry shop run by a woman alone and are determining precise details of the incident.