Son-in-law living rent-free kills father-in-law who sought his eviction, impersonates victim in texts to family

A man who had been living in his in-laws' home is set to stand trial for killing his father-in-law after the older man sought to have him evicted. Investigators found that he used the victim's credit card, impersonated him in text messages to family members and left the body in the house.

Seoul Central District Court is scheduled to hold the first hearing Monday in the case of a man in his 40s indicted on charges of murdering a lineal relative, legal sources said Saturday.

The suspect, identified only as A, is accused of strangling his father-in-law, referred to as B, and slamming his head against a bed on the morning of April 24 at a two-story house in Sangdo-dong, Dongjak-gu, Seoul.

A was B's second son-in-law and had lived on the first floor of the same house for more than a decade without paying rent. Investigators said he committed the crime after an eviction lawsuit finally forced him out. He had no steady employment and had clashed with B on multiple occasions over private loan debts.

B had filed the eviction lawsuit against A's family, and a court had ordered them to vacate by June.

Police discovered the victim's body about 10 days after B's eldest daughter reported him missing. After reviewing closed-circuit television footage confirming A was the last person to enter the house, officers arrested him in Gangneung, Gangwon Province.

During police questioning, A claimed he killed B impulsively while trying to persuade him to delay the eviction, according to investigators.

The investigation revealed that A used B's credit card to take out loans and repay private debts, spending about 50 million won ($36,000) in total. He also replied to texts from family members and acquaintances asking about B's whereabouts by impersonating his father-in-law. A continued living on the first floor with his family until just before the body was found.

Police determined that A's wife — B's second daughter, who had been living with him — was unaware of the crime and was not charged.