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| Kim Tae-hyun, the suspect of the brutal murders of a woman and her two adult daughters last month, kneels during his press appearance at Dobong Police Station in Seoul, Friday. Yonhap |
By Nam Hyun-woo
Kim Tae-hyun, 24, the suspect of the brutal murders of a woman and her two adult daughters last month, was handed over from the police to the prosecution for further investigation on Friday.
The Dobong Police sent Kim's case to the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors' Office, requesting that he be indicted on charges of murder, burglary, breaking and entering, continued harassment and violation of the act on promotion of information and communications network utilization.
During his appearance before the press at the police station, Kim kneeled down and took off his face mask in an apparent gesture of apology and said, "I feel guilty about even breathing so shamelessly." He also apologized to the victims and the bereaved family members. However, he did not answer questions about his charges.
Kim is accused of killing the three women after breaking into their home in Nowon District in northeastern Seoul on March 23. Kim allegedly stole a weapon from a nearby store and disguised himself as a delivery worker to enter the house. After stabbing the younger sister to death, he stayed there and killed the mother and then the elder sister who came home later.
Kim is also charged with stalking, as a police investigation found that he committed the murders after being disgruntled at the elder sister who had been refusing to meet him. Kim claimed that he got to know her through an online game. He also allegedly attempted to destroy the evidence by deleting his phone number from the elder sister's cell phone.
The crime was discovered on March 25 when the police visited the house after the elder sister's friend reported that she had been out of contact for days. Police found Kim at the scene with self-inflicted injuries on his neck. He was arrested on April 4 after getting treatment at a local hospital.
Initially, Kim's identity had been withheld, but the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency revealed his personal information, including his name, age and photo, on April 5, following a mounting public outcry. More than 253,000 people have signed a petition posted on Cheong Wa Dae's website demanding that his identity be revealed. The presidential office officially responds to petitions that more than 200,000 people sign.
