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suspect in the case of the murder-rape of a 13-year-old middle school student is arrested by the police in Busan City

Police apprehended Kim Kil-tae, 33, Wednesday on charges of sexual assault and murder of a Busan City middle school student.

Kim’s arrest comes fifteen days after the disappearance of the student, identified by the surname Lee, twelve days after the search for Kim began and five days after Lee’s remains were discovered.

The police investigation headquarters, under Deputy Assistant Commissioner Kim Yeong-sik, announced that the suspect was seen jumping from the roof of “H” Villa in the Samnak neighborhood of Busan’s Sasang District at around 2:45 p.m. Wednesday afternoon. Four detectives from the Saha Police Station reportedly chased after the suspect for about 30 meters before apprehending him after a struggle on the street.

Police said that Kim put up a strong resistance at the time he was apprehended and that he appeared haggard and gaunt. The site where Kim was arrested is located just 20 to 30 meters from the Deokpo-dong redevelopment zone where the incident took place. The police immediately took Kim to the Sasang Police Station, where they began questioning on the motive for the crime and information about any other crimes Kim may have committed.

Kim is suspected of breaking into a Deokpo-dong apartment at around 8 p.m. on Feb. 24 and abducting thirteen-year-old Lee, who was alone in the apartment at the time, taking her to an empty house located about 50 meters away, and sexually assaulting and murdering her before abandoning the body. Police found DNA evidence implicating Kim, including saliva collected from the victim’s remains.

Kim is also being charged with rape and assault for allegedly kidnapping a woman who was traveling home on the street in the same neighborhood at around 4:40 a.m. on Jan. 23, taking her to the roof of a nearby tea room, and sexually assaulting and imprisoning her. After questioning Kim, police plan to apply for an arrest warrant on charges of murder, abandonment of a dead body and sexual assault.

Having determined there was a low probability of Kim having left the Sasang District area, police had deployed large numbers of investigators and riot police, who were relentlessly searching empty houses in the Deokpo neighborhood area when they apprehended Kim.

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