After the murder and destruction, text the victim's cell phone...a warrant for an incumbent officer

[Anchor]
The culprit in the case of a woman in her 30s being found damaged in the Bukhangang River in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province, over the weekend was an incumbent officer who was scheduled to be promoted to lieutenant colonel.

The victim was a military officer in the same unit, who brutally killed him, damaging and retaining the body, as well as sending text messages to the victim's mobile phone to avoid suspicion.Reporter

reports.

[Reporter]
On Saturday, the 2nd, a brutally damaged body was found on the Bukhangang River in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province.

The culprit is an army officer in a unit under the Ministry of National Defense, who is scheduled to be promoted to lieutenant colonel soon, A in his late 30s.

I asked the reason for the crime, but there was no answer.

[A suspect of damaging the body of the Bukhangang River] (Do you admit the charge? What is your relationship with the victim? Do you have anything to say to the bereaved family? Is there anything you want to say to the victim? Did you contact the victim's bereaved family? Did you keep going to work after the crime? )….]

Police arrested A, who was wandering near his residence in Seoul a day after the discovery of the body.

He secured fingerprints and DNA from the victim's body, and quickly pursued A through mobile phone tracking.

[Shin Hyo-seop / Gangwon Police Agency Investigation Department Head: The victim's identity is not accurate, but the suspect was selected with some understanding and he received a confession of the crime.]

According to the investigation, 33-year-old B, who died, was a temporary military officer working in the same unit as A.

The crime was committed on Friday, the 25th of last month, when A was transferred and B's term was scheduled to expire.

While arguing in a vehicle in the military unit, A suddenly strangled B and killed him.

He then hid it in the car and damaged it with a weapon prepared in advance at a construction site near the unit that night.

After that, he moved to the Bukhangang River in Hwacheon, Gangwon-do, where he worked in the past, and dumped the body.

Ditching the damaged body, the stones around the river were also put in a plastic bag.

In particular, after the crime, Mr. A sent text messages to the unit officials, the victim's family, and acquaintances on Mr. B's mobile phone.

He even pretended to be a victim to avoid doubts and hide his crimes, such as asking for a vacation.

[Gangwon National Police Agency official: We had the (victim) cell phone until we got caught. I threw it away, but we found it as we caught it. Until then, he carried (the victim's cell phone).]

Under the revised military criminal law, the civilian police military crime investigation team will take charge of future investigations, including the motive of the crime and whether the crime was planned.

The police applied for an arrest warrant for A on charges of murder, damage to the body, and concealment of the body.

Mr. A has confessed to all the crimes.

The police plan to hold an open review committee to review whether A's personal information will be disclosed.

Police and Hwacheon-gun disaster rescue teams, which deployed hundreds of people to search the area of the Bukhangang River after confirming the crime, announced that they had recovered all the victims' bodies in three days.

I'm YTN Jihwan.



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