A-Grade Victim Monitored 27 Times Found Dead Just Two Weeks After Ankle Monitor Was Removed

[Financial News] A man in his 60s who had faced an application for an arrest warrant on suspicion of trying to kill a woman targeted in a stalking case was apprehended about four months later on suspicion of killing the same woman. It has been confirmed that prosecutors at the time judged the alleged offense to be very serious but did not seek an arrest warrant, citing the suspect’s health and other factors.
Police said on the 5th that Seoul Eunpyeong Police Station arrested A, a man in his 60s, in flagrante on suspicion of murder at around 8 a.m. that day at a multi-unit residential building in Bulgwang-dong, Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul. B, a woman in her 70s who had been A’s former partner, was found dead at the scene, and A was taken to a hospital unconscious. Police said they do not believe A’s unconsciousness was caused by self-harm, and that the hospital is investigating its cause. A regained some consciousness that afternoon but was still unable to hold a normal conversation. Police said they would decide when to seek an arrest warrant based on A’s health and the progress of the investigation.
Police said injuries that appeared to have been caused by a blunt object were found on B. They said an autopsy would determine the exact weapon used and the circumstances of her death.
The case came to light after B’s family reported it. At around 6:40 a.m. that day, a family member called police, saying they could not reach their mother. Police checked the location of B’s phone and then confirmed that she had been victimized. At the scene, they obtained two phones believed to belong to the victim and the suspect. They plan to use digital forensic analysis to investigate, among other things, why B visited A’s home. Police are currently analyzing nearby CCTV footage and dashcam video from vehicles.
Police had previously received a total of four reports related to A. Reports were filed with Eunpyeong Police Station in September 2024, Eunpyeong Police Station in June 2026, Namdaemun Police Station that same month, and Mapo Police Station in July this year.
Earlier, Seoul Mapo Police Station received a report from B on July 18 and urgently arrested A. On July 20 of the same month, it applied for an arrest warrant on charges including attempted murder. However, the Seoul Western District Prosecutors’ Office (now the Seoul Western District Public Prosecution Office) did not seek a warrant. Police later changed the charge from attempted murder to assault and referred A to prosecutors without detention on September 3.
The Seoul Western District Public Prosecution Office said that day that although the alleged offense was very serious, the suspect categorically denied the charges and further investigation was needed into some of the alleged offenses. It added that, taking into account that the suspect’s health was poor because he had undergone cancer surgery not long before, among other factors, it had decided to investigate him without detention. It also denied reports by some media outlets that the warrant was not sought because “the harm was minor,” saying that was not true.
After prosecutors declined to seek a warrant, police applied to the court for provisional measures. As a result, A was held in a detention center from July 23 to August 22 and, after being released, wore an electronic tracking device (ankle monitor) until the 22nd of last month. B was classified as an A-grade victim of a relationship-based crime for police monitoring, but was found dead about two weeks after her ankle-monitor period ended.
Police said B had been monitored as an A-grade victim since July. Police monitor A-grade victims once a month, and monitored B 27 times after the incident. One week before her ankle-monitor period ended, police asked whether she had any safety concerns and whether she needed additional safety measures, but B made no specific request. Police said there were no further reports in the meantime, so the monitoring period ended without additional measures. A police official said, “Being classified as A-grade does not automatically mean an electronic device can be attached,” adding, “There must be a crime and grounds for suspicion.”

[email protected] Choi Seung-han Reporter