Man kills friend's wife in attempted theft of 100,000 won

An elderly man who tried to steal a small amount of money from an old friend ended up killing the friend's wife, according to the police in South Jeolla Province on Tuesday.

Yeosu Police Station is currently investigating the suspect, a man in his 60s, on suspicion of murdering a woman in her 70s at around 11 p.m. on Sunday. The victim was found stabbed in the chest inside her home, and died in the early hours of Monday despite receiving medical treatment at a nearby hospital.

The suspect was apprehended at Suncheon Bus Terminal in the same province at around 2 p.m. Monday, apparently attempting to flee to Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province.

The suspect, who had been working as a sailor in Yeosu for the past 20 years, was a close friend of the victim's husband for decades, investigators found. The suspect had often been invited to the victim's home by the husband, and learned that the victim's family usually left about 100,000 won ($72) in cash inside a drawer in the living room.

He also knew about the house key that the victim's family kept near the entrance.

The suspect told the police that he attempted to steal the cash because he was having financial issues. He took the key from the secret location, entered the home in disguise, and came face-to-face with the victim in the living room.

When the victim started screaming, he took a knife from the kitchen and attacked her. He discarded the knife in an empty lot near the crime scene.

The police are mulling whether to charge the suspect with robbery in addition to the charge of murder.

By Yoon Min-sik(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)