(LEAD) Arrest warrants sought for woman, boyfriend in drowning death of husband

All News 11:34 April 18, 2022

(ATTN: RECASTS headline; UPDATES lead, paras 5-6, 9-10 with latest info)

INCHEON, April 18 (Yonhap) -- Prosecutors sought formal arrest warrants Monday for a woman and her boyfriend who stand accused of causing the 2009 drowning death of the woman's husband for a hefty insurance payout, officials said.

Lee Eun-hae, 31, and her extramarital lover, Cho Hyun-soo, 30, were detained Saturday on charges of prodding Lee's then 39-year-old husband to jump into a valley river in Gapyeong, 60 kilometers east of Seoul, even though he's unable to swim, and letting him drown.

Investigators suspect they committed the crime for 800 million won (US$650,000) in insurance money.

Lee and Cho were also accused of attempting to kill the husband that year by food poisoning with pufferfish toxin in February and trying to drown him at a fishing place in May, according to officials.

Prosecutors at the Incheon District Prosecutors Office applied for court warrants to formally arrest the two suspects for further questioning on charges of murder by nonfeasance, attempted murder and attempted insurance fraud.

The Incheon District Court will hold a hearing Tuesday afternoon to decide to whether to issue the warrants.

The two had been on the run since going into hiding in December ahead of prosecution questioning. In late March, police put them on their wanted listed and made their identities and photos public.

Law enforcement authorities are required to secure an arrest warrant to further detain a suspect, 48 hours after the suspect's initial arrest, or release of the suspect.

Prosecutors are conducting a forensic analysis on a mobile phone found at their hiding place. Having identified a person who helped the two while they were on the run, prosecutors also plan to interrogate the person soon.

Officials said one more 30-year-old suspect, a friend of Cho who was at the suspected murder scene, was also accused of murder and other charges in the case. He is currently under detention in a separate fraud case.