Police have sought an arrest warrant for a 60-year-old man on charges of murdering his wife and daughter, according to Masan Dongbu Police Station on Wednesday.

Police said the man, identified only by his surname Lee, is accused of fatally stabbing his wife, 56, and daughter, 29, at their home in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, at around 8 a.m. Sunday.

Police were alerted to the case Tuesday by the wife’s brother and friend, who visited Lee’s residence and saw the bodies. The witnesses said Lee opened the door voluntarily.

When police arrived at the scene, they found the wife and daughter dead in the living room with multiple stab wounds.

During questioning, Lee told police he was “afraid (his) wife would divorce him for a wealthier man,” while he “would have no income after retiring.”

Lee said he stabbed his wife in their bedroom while she was asleep, and followed her as she ran off to the living room, where he stabbed her multiple times. When his daughter came out of her room, he stabbed her too out of fear that she would report him to police. 

Police said that based on his testimony, they believe the man was delusional at the time of the crime. However, an investigation of the man’s medical history revealed only minor mental health problems. 

In an investigation that followed, police discovered Lee had taken anti-depressants for about two months six or seven years ago and that he was also prescribed medication recently at a psychiatric clinic for insomnia and loss of appetite.

Police also said that based on a criminal profiler’s assessment, the man is unlikely to be schizophrenic or suffering a serious mental disorder.

By Kim Arin (arin@heraldcorp.com)