Police to transfer suspect in killing of 2 brothers to prosecution
A Chinese national of Korean ethnicity identified as Cha Cheol-nam, center, leaves a police station in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, to attend a court hearing to review whether a warrant will be granted for his arrest for allegedly killing two people on May 17 and seriously injuring two others. May 21. Yonhap
Police said Tuesday they plan to transfer the suspect in the killing of two brothers and stabbing of two other people to the prosecution on charges of murder and attempted murder.
Cha Cheol-nam, a 56-year-old Chinese national of Korean ethnicity, was apprehended on Monday last week, two days after he allegedly killed the brothers of the same Chinese-Korean background in Siheung, just southwest of Seoul.
Hours before his detention, he also stabbed a convenience store owner and his landlord in separate incidents, causing them serious injuries.
A Siheung police official told reporters Tuesday that Cha was found to have planned the murders starting early this month by purchasing weapons.
A police investigation also found that Cha lured the elder brother to his home to have a drink and killed him first, before killing the younger sibling.
An autopsy of the bodies tentatively concluded that both victims died of head injuries.
Police said Cha claimed to have committed the crime out of anger after the brothers failed to repay him a loan of 30 million won ($21,500).
Before stabbing the convenience store owner and his landlord, Cha was found to have spent two days inside the brothers' car.
He told police the convenience store owner had spoken ill of him, while the landlord had looked down on him.