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Incheon woman accused of murdering mother appears in court with husband

Published: 26 Jan. 2026, 18:15

A woman accused of killing her mother, left, and her husband, who is accused of aiding in the crime and destroying evidence, enter the Incheon District Court to attend a pretrial detention hearing on Jan. 26. [YONHAP]

A woman accused of beating her mother to death appeared in court on Monday alongside her husband, who prosecutors say failed to intervene and later destroyed evidence, as a judge weighed whether to order their detention.

The couple appeared at the Incheon District Court for a pretrial detention hearing as prosecutors sought arrest warrants. The court was expected to decide later on Monday whether to detain them.

Both suspects entered the courthouse wearing hats and masks, with their handcuffed hands covered, avoiding exposure to cameras.

Authorities say the woman repeatedly assaulted her mother at their home in Incheon’s Bupyeong District on Tuesday. The victim died three days later, according to investigators.

Prosecutors accuse the husband of failing to stop the assault or seek medical help and of destroying evidence by cleaning bloodstains left inside the home.

The woman did not respond to reporters’ questions, including “Why did you kill your mother?” and “Why did you leave her without taking her to a hospital?” Her husband denied the allegations, saying, "That never happened,” and, “Neither my wife nor I assaulted her,” when asked why he did not intervene.

During police questioning, the woman admitted to assaulting her mother, saying, “It is true that I assaulted my mother,” and, “I think she died around noon on [Jan.] 23,” adding, “It was because of family issues,” according to police.

The National Forensic Service provided police with a preliminary verbal opinion that the victim likely suffered fatal injuries caused by multiple fractures.

Officers responding to a report on Friday found multiple bruises across the victim’s body. Authorities detained the woman on the day of the report and her husband the following day.

“There were circumstances suggesting that the husband cleaned bloodstains left inside the house to destroy evidence,” a police official said, adding that forensic teams would carry out a detailed examination.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY HAN YOUNG-HYE [[email protected]]