Couple attend arrest warrant hearing over killing mother, abandoning body
A man suspected of killing his mother-in-law in Daegu told police he assaulted her for "being noisy,” local reports said Thursday.
In the ongoing investigation into a woman's body found in a suitcase in Sincheon, a stream in eastern Daegu, the suspect, the victim's son-in-law, told police that he beat her for about two hours with his hands and feet on March 18 at his residence in Jung-gu, Daegu.
After admitting to the charges, he told investigators it was because she was noisy and "did not keep her belongings tidy,” the reports said.
The victim, in her 50s, had been living with her daughter and son-in-law since September last year, after leaving her husband due to marital discord. Although she had once been reported missing after leaving home, no reports of domestic violence had been filed.
On Thursday, the man and his wife, both in their 20s, attended separate arrest warrant hearings at a Daegu court. The male suspect faces charges of murdering the victim and abandoning her body, while his wife — the victim’s daughter — is suspected of aiding in the disposal of the body.
The case came to light on Tuesday, when police discovered a body inside a suitcase floating near a bridge in Chilseong-dong, Daegu.
Investigators found that the suspects placed the victim’s body in a suitcase after her death and dumped it into the stream. The couple was captured on multiple surveillance cameras carrying a suitcase toward the stream.
Authorities believe the man had repeatedly abused the victim since February.
A preliminary autopsy by the National Forensic Service found multiple fractures throughout the victim’s body, including her ribs and pelvis, with authorities concluding that the cause of death was blunt force trauma.
junheee@heraldcorp.com
