South Korean police officials said Tuesday they have arrested a man on suspicion of killing his wife by drugging her and setting fire to a vehicle with her in it.
The suspect in his 60s is accused of setting a car ablaze with both of them inside near a reservoir in Hongseong-gun, South Chungcheong Province, at around 8:22 p.m. on Monday, according to officials of the Hongseong Police Station. The suspect claimed that his initial goal was to kill the wife and himself by smoke inhalation.
But the suspect escaped when the briquette he was burning ended up setting fire to the car, shouting for help to a passerby who submitted a report to police. He escaped with second-degree burns, while his wife died and the car was completely destroyed.
He told the police that he decided to take both of their lives due to his wife's illness, with her delirium apparently getting worse recently. He said the victim did not want to die, but he forcibly drugged her.
Police officials will conduct an investigation to determine the exact motives for the crime, while requesting an autopsy on the victim to confirm her cause of death. They will request a warrant for the suspect's official arrest.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
