A suspect in their 20s who committed a sex crime against a teenage girl was later convicted of theft, it has emerged, as the suspect's father — in their 50s — was arrested for killing the same victim.
According to legal sources Wednesday, the Seoul Western District Court's Criminal Division 10, presided over by Judge Seong Jun-gyu, sentenced the suspect, identified only as A, to six months in prison, suspended for two years, on theft charges. The verdict was handed down Oct. 15.
A was indicted after allegedly stealing valuables from three men arranged to meet through a random-chat application at motels in the Eunpyeong-gu and Gwanak-gu areas of Seoul between May and June.
A targeted the victims while they were in the bathroom showering. In one instance, A stole cash, checks and $300 in US currency; in another, A fled with about 500,000 won ($372) in cash and six lottery tickets.
The court found that "the nature of the crime is poor, given the relationship between the defendant and the victims and the circumstances and manner in which the cash and other items were stolen." However, it took into account that A admitted to all charges and showed remorse, that the scale of the damage was not particularly large, and that A had no prior criminal record.
Earlier, A had been referred to prosecutors without detention in March on charges of committing a sex crime against a teenage girl. That case was transferred in April from the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors' Office to the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office and remains under investigation.
Meanwhile, the Seoul Seongbuk Police Station arrested A's father on an emergency basis at 1:40 a.m. Wednesday at a short-term rental accommodation in Jeongneung-dong, Seongbuk-gu, on suspicion of killing the teenage girl. Police are investigating the specific motive, including the possibility that the killing was an act of retaliation related to the son's sex crime case.
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