Man allegedly murders girlfriend shortly after release from police custody in dating violence probe

SEOUL, May 26 (Yonhap) -- A 33-year-old man, who had previously been reported to the police for dating violence, murdered his live-in girlfriend Friday, shortly after being released from custody for investigation, officials said.

The Geumcheon Police Station in Seoul said the suspect has been placed in emergency detention on the charge of murder.

He allegedly stabbed the 47-year-old woman multiple times with a weapon in the underground parking lot of a shopping mall in Geumcheon Ward, southwestern Seoul, at 7:17 a.m.

After the crime, the suspect fled the scene with the unconscious woman in a rental car but was later apprehended on a hillside in Paju, some 40 kilometers northwest of Seoul, at 3:25 p.m. The police discovered the victim's body in the back seat of the vehicle.

Police identified the suspect through the analysis of nearby closed-circuit TV footage, prompted by a report at 10:41 a.m. from a shopping center manager who found bloodstains in the parking lot, officials said.

The suspect committed the murder about an hour after being released from police custody at 6:11 a.m. following questioning regarding alleged dating violence. The woman had filed the complaint at 5:37 a.m., according to the police.

The couple began dating a year ago and resided together in the district, police said.

The police said that after the woman's report, they recommended she wear a smartwatch and offered temporary accommodation to protect her from potential attacks, but she declined.

The police also explained they were unable to impose a restraining order on the suspect because the reported violence was not deemed severe enough.
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