`Serial Killer Probably Killed Wife, Mother-in-law in `05`

The brother-in-law of a man who has confessed to killing seven women said yesterday that he strongly believes the suspect killed his fourth wife and her mother in October 2005.

A fire killed the fourth wife of Kang Ho-sun and her mother, with the brother-in-law, identified only as “Jang,” saying, “I have a strong belief (that he killed them) but no evidence.”

In a phone interview with The Dong-A Ilbo, Jang said, “When a neighbor asked Kang, who escaped with his son, if someone was in there, he just coughed and said nothing.”

His former wife and her mother suffocated when a fire broke out at Kang’s mother-in-law’s home in a multi-family residence in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province. Kang and his son, then age 12, tore down security fences and escaped.

Firefighters said they believed the fire began after the dinner table caught fire from mosquito-repellant incense in the living room.

“Long after an ambulance came, Kang said, ‘Someone is in there,’ crying at my doorstep,” Jang said. “I cannot understand him considering the circumstances.”

Jang also noted the little room where Kang slept, “The bedroom’s fences remained strong while the room where Kang slept had security fences with two bolts missing.”

Kang reportedly prepared for the escape before the fire broke out.

Jang said his suspicion grew after Kang gave suspicious testimony about the fire.

“My mother (Kang’s mother-in-law) always slept with the door open, but Kang said, ‘When I opened the bedroom door, it was filled with smoke and I closed the door and left the house,” Jang said.

“My sister crawled to the window pane and died with her face down. I assume she must’ve cried for help, and I’m suspicious why Kang did nothing.”

Jang also talked about Kang’s troubled married life, saying his family opposed Kang marrying his sister and that Kang used to beat her.

“My mother opposed her marrying him and cried after learning Kang had two children from a previous marriage. Eventually they lived together,” Jang said. “So she didn’t tell about her difficulties to her family and only talked about them with her friends.”

“He brought a truckload of my sister’s belongings, even a sock, and burned them all when I planted a young tree nearby my mother’s grave, saying it was in honor of her. The same thing happened at the funeral, and I was seriously offended because he seemed to ignore us.”

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