Man charged with robbery-murder in killing of stranger in Gangbuk-gu

A man in his 20s arrested for killing a stranger in his 70s in Beon-dong, Gangbuk-gu, Seoul, has been referred to prosecutors on charges of robbery-murder. Police upgraded the charge from murder after determining during their investigation that the suspect had intended to steal from the victim from the outset.

The Seoul Gangbuk Police Station said Wednesday it had sent Oh, a man in his 20s, to the Seoul Northern District Prosecution Service in custody on charges of robbery-murder, fraud and violations of the Specialized Credit Finance Business Act.

Oh is accused of killing a man in his 70s whom he did not know at a residence in Beon-dong, Gangbuk-gu, on Oct. 3, and stealing the victim's valuables afterward. Police arrested Oh on Saturday, and a court issued an arrest warrant on Tuesday citing concerns about destruction of evidence and flight risk.

Police had initially applied a murder charge against Oh, but after reviewing the full body of investigative material concluded that he had intended to steal at the time of the crime. They accordingly changed the charge to robbery-murder.

The investigation found that Oh took the victim's mobile phone, credit card and gold ring immediately after the killing. He went on to make fraudulent purchases totaling 4.92 million won ($3,670) using the victim's credit card, bringing his total illicit gains to an estimated 9.27 million won.

Oh had told police during questioning that he and the victim had bumped shoulders while walking and that he followed the victim home to confront him, claiming the killing was impulsive. However, analysis of nearby closed-circuit television footage found no evidence of the two men colliding.

Police investigated the motive and circumstances of the crime based on the discrepancy between Oh's account and the actual evidence, as well as the fact that he took and used the victim's belongings immediately after the killing. "We reviewed all the investigative material gathered so far and determined that he had intended to steal," a Gangbuk Police Station official said, adding that the station would continue supplementary investigative work in cooperation with prosecutors after the referral.