HONG KONG: A South Korean charged with murdering his wife and young son at Hong Kong's luxury Ritz-Carlton hotel died in custody Monday, police said.
Kim Min-ho was found unconscious at the maximum-security Lai Chi Kok detention centre Monday morning and later declared dead in hospital, police and media reports said.
A note was found at the scene, according to a police statement, which described him only as a 43-year-old foreign man.
Police gave no details on how Kim died but local media reported he had committed suicide.
Police had rushed to the harbourfront hotel in January after receiving a report that a man and woman guest were fighting.
Kim's wife and six-year-old son were found dead at the scene, his wife with multiple cuts to her neck and his six-year-old son with a throat wound.
Kim was believed to have consumed alcohol and appeared unconscious in the hotel suite with minor wounds to his hand and face, police said at the time.
They retrieved a five-inch-long knife from the room and Kim was arrested.
Kim, who stated on his Facebook page that he was CEO in South Korea of the US-based Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory retail chain, was charged with double murder.
A source told AFP at the time that a friend of the suspect had warned authorities in South Korea he was potentially suicidal shortly before the incident.
The Ritz-Carlton is on the top floors of Hong Kong's tallest skyscraper – the International Commerce Centre – and has panoramic views of the city and its Victoria Harbour.
The South Korean consulate had no immediate comment on Kim's death. — AFP