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A man has been arrested for beating his ex-girlfriend to death in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, in a dramatic turn of events following a second autopsy.

The Changwon District Court issued an arrest warrant Monday for the man, 20, on charges of fatally assaulting the victim, 20, for nearly an hour on April 1 after entering her place of residence with the lock number that he had somehow acquired.

He told police that he was upset because the woman avoided him.

As a result, she suffered a subdural hemorrhage and other severe injuries. She died 10 days later at a hospital in the city.

Police apprehended him immediately but had to release him soon afterward. The result of the first autopsy from the National Forensic Service showed her death might not have been directly caused by the assault.

Police asked the forensic agency to conduct additional tests, including biopsies, to determine the cause of death. On May 14, the result came out showing a causal relationship. The prosecution asked the court to approve his arrest warrant the next day.

The suspect did not appear at a court hearing over his warrant. His lawyer told reporters he decided to forego appearing due to concerns about media attention.

The mother of the victim called for the court to arrest him immediately, or she would delay her funeral until it issued a warrant for the man, saying the suspect had never apologized to her family or admitted his wrongdoing.