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[Newsmaker] Suspect in case of dismembered male torso on Han River turns himself in

Authorities have arrested a 39-year-old motel employee suspected of killing a man whose dismembered torso was found in Han River on Aug. 12.

An arrest warrant was granted after a hearing for the suspect was held at the Uijeongbu District Court at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Goyang Police said.

The man turned himself in to Jongno Police Station at around 1 a.m. Saturday, five days after the dismembered torso was found.

At 9:15 p.m. Aug. 12, police on patrol found a bare torso without a head and limbs floating on Han River south of Magok Railway Bridge. At 10:48 a.m. Aug. 16, policed discovered a severed right arm some 3 kilometers away from where the torso had been found, allowing a fingerprint identification of the victim. At 10:45 a.m. the following day, a head, believed to belong to the dismembered man, was also found near Banghwa Bridge.

The suspect said during police questioning that the victim, 32, came to the motel in Guro-gu, Seoul, where he was working on Aug. 8. He told police he killed the man with a hammer and knife after sneaking into the room with a spare key, and dismembered and disposed of the body a few hours past midnight Aug. 11. He said used a bicycle to carry the body parts wrapped in plastic bags.

According to police, the suspect stated that he murdered the victim for “being rude and refusing to pay for lodging,” and said he “committed the crime out of impulse.”

Police said the suspect faces charges of murder, body dismemberment and disposal.

Police are conducting DNA testing on the retrieved body parts. They are also checking closed-circuit TV around the motel.


Magok Railway Bridge (Yonhap)
Magok Railway Bridge (Yonhap)

By Kim Arin (arin@heraldcorp.com)

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