'They were a quiet family': Man arrested for murder of parents, wife and children
Published: 15 Apr. 2025, 17:19
Updated: 15 Apr. 2025, 17:21
![A man who allegedly killed five members of his family in Yongin, Gyeonggi, and fled nearly 280 kilometers (174 miles) south to Gwangju was arrested on April 15. [SON SUNG-BAE]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/04/15/0dee32e9-7543-43df-b640-7aeed297fbb2.jpg)
A man who allegedly killed five members of his family in Yongin, Gyeonggi, and fled nearly 280 kilometers (174 miles) south to Gwangju was arrested on April 15. [SON SUNG-BAE]
A man who allegedly killed five members of his family in Yongin, Gyeonggi, and fled nearly 280 kilometers (174 miles) south to Gwangju was arrested on Tuesday, the same day the bodies were discovered.
The suspect was charged with murder, Yongin police said Tuesday. The man drugged his family with sleeping pills before strangling each of them to death, according to the police.
Authorities discovered the bodies of the man’s 80-something parents, his wife in her 50s and two children in their 10s and 20s at their apartment in Sanghyeon-dong, Suji District in Yongin around 9:55 a.m. on Tuesday. Firefighters forced the front door open after receiving a call and alerted the police upon finding the victims.
A neighbor said she'd seen a woman, whom she believed to be related to the victims, crying and frantically trying to enter the apartment building around the time of the discovery.
Police said the suspect fled the scene in a car and drove approximately four hours to a villa on Geumnam-ro, a road in Gwangju, on Saturday. Investigators tracked his movements using surveillance footage and cellular location data, then requested assistance from the Gwangju Dongbu Police Precinct.
Officers found the man lying on a bed in the villa at 11:10 a.m. When they tried to wake him, he appeared unresponsive and was taken to Chosun University Hospital. He is not in critical condition.
“The man appeared to be under the influence of sleeping pills,” a Gwangju police officer said. “We did not find sleeping pills or alcohol at the scene, but we did find medication for high blood pressure.”
“I can't believe something like this could happen here,” said an elder resident who had lived in the apartment building for many years said. “My heart is racing and my hands are trembling.”
A security guard who was on duty Tuesday morning said others had seen the man take the elevator several times. “They were a quiet family,” the guard said.
After the murder, the suspect called another family member and said he “wanted to die,” prompting a suicide call to authorities. Police found a note at the scene resembling a suicide note.
Police conducted a forensic investigation of the apartment and removed the bodies by 2 p.m. on Tuesday. Investigators plan to formally arrest the man once his condition improves.
“We are still investigating the exact cause of death and the motive behind the killings,” an officer from the Yongin Seobu Police Precinct said. “We cannot release further details at this time.”
Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY SON SUNG-BAE, HWANG HEE-GYU [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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