Police officials said Saturday they have handed over a murder and attempted fraud case to prosecutors concerning an insurance agent, who did not take any measures to help her dying son but subscribed to a life insurance policy in his name.
The son of the suspect, who was in his 30s, had been coughing up blood throughout the night from 10 p.m. on Sept. 20, 2023, in their apartment in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province. The suspect in her 60s, however, did not take him to a hospital or take any other medically relevant measures, according to the Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency. The victim was later taken to a hospital by an acquaintance but died the next day due to his weakened physical condition from liver disease.
It was discovered that the suspect had purchased life insurance for her son with a 200 million won ($143,000) payout in case of death, the day after the son started coughing up blood.
The insurance agency suspected foul play, as the victim died just eight hours after subscribing to the insurance plan, and reported the case to the police in January 2024.
Police said they are seeking charges of murder via gross negligence for the suspect. Murder by gross negligence is not specified in the Criminal Act, but legal precedents since a landmark 1987 Supreme Court case have said that taking certain actions while acknowledging that they can lead to the death of another could constitute murder.
The suspect claimed that she did not know that her son had coughed up blood on the night he fell fatally ill.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
